Far from home
by gad-eshu'a
Summary: A Vulcan starship crashes to pre-warp earth, a fragile agreement is struck between their people and the humans there: a virgin bride sacrifice to the elusive beings the Bantu and Maa people only know as the Mgeni or the strangers in exchange for goods and protection. Nyota has been marked for the next cull and the male and community that awaits her is like none she's ever seen.
1. Chapter 1

Full Summary:

Back in a time where warp technology was still relatively new to them, a Vulcan starship crash lands on earth in the beautiful but tumultuous Mara plains of West Kenya. After decades of waiting it becomes clear that their distress signal has failed and they are now stranded on this strange new world. The large crew face a number of problems, particularly what to do about bondmates during their biological call to mate. With not enough mates to go around, Vulcan males in the heat of their pon farr look to the human population for a means to survive the onslaught of their blood fever. After years of stealing women from their tribal nations that they strive to stay hidden from elders and shamans across the nation band together and ask for a parlay with the threat of war if it is not met. After the meeting a fragile agreement is struck between their people: a virgin bride sacrifice to the elusive beings the Bantu and Maa people only know as the _Mgeni_ or the _strangers_ in exchange for goods and protection from neighboring nations. Nyota has been marked for the next cull and the male and community that awaits her is like none she's ever seen.

In the dim light of the waning moon, the bustling village of Namanga was fast asleep, unaware of the lone figure who ran along its borders. After lapping the perimeter twice, he left the cover of the surrounding forest and with the passing cloud cover, made his way from the outskirts of community inside towards the center. Ducking between baskets and barrels, the phantom spotted his target location and slipped along the side one of the larger clay brick houses.

Hugging his back against the wall, he remained motionless for a moment as the moonlight revealed his position along with his angular face and brows. Just on the other side of the wall lay his potential mate, hopefully sleeping and unaware of his presence lurking just outside her window.

It was past midnight but warriors and predators alike were making their rounds. Careful sidestepping of the former and aggressive bluffing towards the latter had kept him safe for now but his statistical chances of discovery grew with every minute out in the mixed territory of the Bantu and the Maasai. As he stood watching the grounds for any other movement, the young Vulcan was having a hard time trying to quell his growing anxiety.

For any male, Vulcan or human, that would have been the natural cause of his nervousness but that it was only a small part in this case. It was less with being around her and more with what he had to do with her.

Spock's very presence at her home was to make a lifelong decision for the both of them, a bond that went beyond their bodies and he had very little way of knowing if his choice was correct.

As a rite of passage and an evolution of the Vulcan way of betrothal, Spock needed to touch his chosen and establish a link between them and mark her threshold as his own.

Back on his father's home world, such a bonding wouldn't be left to secrecy and shadows as in olden days but as it was, they were never going back. Stranded for nearly a century on the planet Earth, this land was the only one Spock had ever known but his people's blood was still swayed by the Father's home world.

Pon Farr, a biological function he had yet to grapple with, was the heart of his search. If he was anything like the other males of the compound, the periodic rutting phase would be upon him within the next several years and he needed a mate to help in surviving it.

After a visit with the compound's elder, Spock was deemed sound of mind and fit of body to go and mark his intended. Feeling along his mind, she had given him a bit more than seven terran years and to establish his bondmate within the next few weeks. Without a mate at his young age, he ran the risk of going mad and killing someone or dying through failed meditation which made his bonding imperative.

He had sought one out ahead of time, careful not to draw too much attention. It was not uncommon for one or more in a peer group to become rivals and challenge each other for a prime female specimen. Stonn had been particularly interested in Nyota but as a full blooded Vulcan, he had gone forward with the option to choose one of the few Vulcan females around his age.

His father had been furious; the female that Stonn had settled on had been one that Sarek had tried to manipulate into an arranged marriage with Spock, but no matter his former standing back on Vulcan, the Vulcan elder could not pardon his son's blood heritage away from the other crewmen.

Not so secretly Spock had been thrilled and immediately made plans to come out for Nyota that very evening. When questioned about his sudden moments towards claiming a human mate, he replied that he did not want to be caught in a similar situation as his father had faced with his mother. The answer was logical but left everyone present uncomfortable so with his parents satisfied and silenced, Spock left for her village without any further delay.

Steeling himself, the young Vulcan peered over the sill of the window to her home. The room was filled with the slumbering forms of his intended's family. As the shadow of his head spilled over into the room, no one stirred or shifted. Still watching, the lithe male tied the sleeves and bottom of his robe to his torso with the thick, ornate sash around his waist. Once secured, he tested the bindings with a few quick stretches and was pleased by the lack of noise and freedom of movement.

With one last scan across the room, Spock jumped inside with his right arm out behind him for balance. Looking up from where he was crotched, he focused in on his potential bride sleeping soundly across the room, unaware of him or his intentions.

When he was sure that no others in the house were stirring, Spock carefully made his way across the room and towards her. Slowly he stalked across the floor like a big cat of the Mara, his senses heightened in anticipation of his prize.

Her mother was the first person he passed. He stayed close along the wall away from the light of the window to maintain his cover should she wake. He crept by her with more speed than was necessary. His guilt at what he was about to do without her permission ate at his core and did not sit well with him morally. Spock wanted her daughter to be a blessing she and her husband bestowed on him, not a stolen treasure the Vulcan had to pilfer.

He blinked rapidly and continued on his way, quickly navigating over the toddler Bina who slept nearby her mother. She was suckling at her thumb and every so often Spock could pick up the soft, gruggly huffs as she fought to keep it in her mouth as she slept.

Nyota was only feet away from him and for a moment Spock felt overwhelmed once more by all the factors he was accounting for–someone waking, someone defending her, her screaming, the whole village coming to defend her and drive him out. There were so many things that could happen that his Vulcan need to calculate slowed his mind to a halt.

He closed his eyes and swallowed down the rising bile in his throat. If these things were to happen, come what may she would be his. He had hunted from tribe to tribe and found Nyota to be of great interest like no other female he had seen. He would mark her now that she had flowered so no other Vulcan would dare come near her less they face his wrath.

Curled around his intended was her younger sister Goma. Spock knew to be her closest sibling from his observations so the fact that they shared a bed did not surprise him. They were snoring softly with their limbs sprawled across the soft hide beneath them in a slow, sleep induced tug of war over the blanket they shared.

Dipping closer to the floor, Spock wove his way around to Nyota's side. He watched her face for any signs of consciousness but it remained smooth and lax as she breathed quietly from her open mouth.

Biting at his lower lip Spock extended his fingers and slowly reached forward towards her jaw. His father had told him that to ensure the bond between them would be strong enough to survive the years between now and when his time came, Spock should meld with her from underneath her chin.

Melding from the temples was quick and relatively simple but so was the link that it found. Unless it was repeated and tended to, whatever happened to be formed would peter out in a matter of weeks. Unless Spock wanted to repeat the process every month he had to make sure to leave an imprint deep enough to weather the near decade it would be left inaccessible.

The finger positioning was considered awkward but those without the skill of a healer or experience of an elder were encouraged to form bonds this way along the trigeminal nerve. Right along the jaw and back towards the spine, this large nerve was easier to manipulate than the ones at the temple. Though Spock was very much a Vulcan that went against the grain, in this venture he took his father's advice to heart.

Just inches away from her face he heard a small, quailing noise to his right. Spock looked over in horror to find Nyota's sister, Goma, awake and wide eyed with terror as he hovered above her bedmate.

For a moment they just stared at each other in disbelief. Vulcans made it a habit to not mingle openly among humans unless they were immediate family or bonded to a fellow Vulcan so he could safely say that he was the first of his people she had ever seen. Her eyes darted from his brows to his ears and back to his eyes with a visible tremor when she met them.

Spock wondered vaguely if she was more or less alarmed of Vulcans now that she saw one face to face. If her expression was any indication he would say more.

Goma blinked and broke the stillness between them by shaking her head furiously at him. It must have dawned on her of why he was there lurking above her sister in the dead of night. Spock watched her small face as it folded from a caricature of fright into hot, righteous anger.

Spock pitched up his brows towards one another and paused. He was at a loss of what to do with the child. How should he continue? He did not wish to harm her but she would not willingly let him mark her sister.

When Goma took a deep, foreboding inhale however, Spock reacted involuntarily.

Swiftly he seized her small mouth with his hand and laced the fingers of the other across her cheek. Instantly her young mind rushed forward through the psionic touch of his hand and Spock confined it away from his own. Quickly, he surveyed her thoughts laid bare before him and was dismayed. She had intended to scream and alert the others. Just as he had figured, Goma would not let him take Nyota without a fight.

Admirable, he thought, but he cannot let her take his chance to be with Nyota away.

"Yuk-tor (sleep)!" he whispered harshly and sighed in relief as she went from clawing at his hands to complete relaxation. He held her mouth shut until he felt certain by her breathing that she was back fast asleep.

Spock withdrew his hands with a shuddering breath and rubbed them clean from the touch of her mind. He was still new to melding and had only once melded with another human before. She had not fought him as Goma had but then again, why would his mother have fought his embrace?

Spock looked down at Goma with a small frown tugging at the seam of his lips. He had not wanted to touch her in such a way but impulsive reactions were still all too prevalent in his life.

He took a second to catch his breath and willed his heart to slow its racing. This was taking too long, he thought. He needed to mark Nyota and leave before he was faced with another repulsive situation.

Spock looked back and was greeted with the blessed sight of Nyota still sleeping despite the quick but frantic commotion. Fueled by the urge to make his leave, Spock seized her jaw in his hands and captured her sleeping mind as he felt its energy brush against his fingertips.

She gasped and arched beneath him, jarred her from her dreaming as his telepathic touch took ahold of her. She opened her eyes and stared at him with a similar look that he had seen grace Goma's face. She shifted to flee and panicked as she realized he had effectively pinned her to the pallet as he straddled her.

Adrenaline answered her alarm and fed her fright as she strained against his weight above her. Slipping one hand free, Nyota reached back and swatted his face. Spock jerked and hissed as he struggled to maintain a gentle but firm grip of Nyota's face as she fought for her freedom.

" _Nam'uh hayal!_ ( Calm down!)" he murmured hoarsely.

She thought he was a man of the village come to rape or kill her but her terror was amplified once she realized he was a...a mgeni?

She tried dislodging his hands was stunned by the ease of his strength compared to his size. He was unnaturally hot, she thought, as she stilled beneath him and took in his face. As she studied him, she noticed the intrusive push of his mind as he planted the bond within her.

" _Hapana_ …!" she pleaded quietly, grabbing at his robes. He could tell she actually intended to pull at the tendrils he was embedding inside her mind but she had no way of knowing how to rid herself of them. "Hapana, mgeni!"

He tilted his head as he searched for her meaning, reaching deeper into her mind. Ah, there it was, she did not wish to be chosen because she did not wish to die. She really believed that Spock would be the death of her. She had even whispered her begging as a way of not provoking him to rage.

His brow furrowed as he saw the monster she pictured him to be. Some lust-crazed, mad beast that would use her for his own gain before disposing of her like garbage. A sniffle broke his concentration and he looked down to see Nyota crying quietly as she resigned herself to her fate.

As he gazed down at her crestfallen face, Spock felt himself fall within the sway of her emotional transfer. He had not planned on diverging from his father's detailed outline for marking her but Sarek had not truly factored Nyota's wants or needs into the equation.

By coming here and claiming her, Spock was essentially ridding her of her family and nation. True, he could overlook her and choose another but it was obvious that after his and Stonn's interest this would be far from the last time Nyota would encounter a Vulcan. She was free-spirited and captivating and for that fact, she ironically was very alluring to males that wanted to hold her captive by marriage.

Pausing in his weaving of their link, Spock leaned forward and brushed his face against hers. She held her breath as his lips came close but Spock merely sighed and moved over towards her cheek. The soft skin was cool and damp from tears but he embraced her all the same. Holding her temple against his Spock deepened the meld to speak with her.

/ I don't want to hurt you. I intend to take you as my wife, not my sacrifice./

She stiffened at his voice. She was amazed at the sudden ability to comprehension him in her mind. After a brief pause she reached out from within herself and tried her hand at speaking as well.

/Are you going to kill me?/

/ Absolutely not./

/ You said be your wife…you want to wed me?/

/ Yes,/ he replied, feeling a spur of hope prickling his side.

/ I don't know you! I don't want to marry you! I want to marry Asa!/

Spock knew of the young man she spoke of and huffed at her choice in men. Asa appeared to be popular with most everyone in her village. A good looking self-starter with athletic prowess, he had seen Asa speaking on and off with Nyota as he transitioned from playmate to a junior warrior.

/ I will treat you well and always provide for you./

/ Asa will too./

/ I have strong feelings for you...that I find hard to ignore.../

She physically scoffed and spoke mentally to him once more. / Sounds like your problem, Mgeni. Go to one of your own women and leave me alone!/

/ Nyota, please.../

/ How do you know my name? Have you been watching me?!/

Spock grunted in frustration as their conversation wound itself back over again. He had yet to establish the link and with mental fatigue setting in, his chances of discovery were growing.

In a last ditch effort, Spock let down the mental barriers barring his emotions from Nyota and himself in order to speed things along. He had done so in the past with very little issue but he had never been under this amount of pressure before.

His longing crashed down onto the pair in a nauseating wave of need. Spock gagged while Nyota recoiled under the undulating desire to get closer to the male she had sought to get further away from. Before he could gather his emotions of want away from her, Nyota lurched her head to the side in his hold and caught his mouth with hers. Spock's eyes fluttered closed and he pressed back against the cool crush of her lips.

To his surprise, the bonk-link grew and flared, cementing itself between them like a taut rope. Nyota hummed against his mouth and curled her fingers into the soft down of his hair on the back of his head. The exchange of sensations flooded between them, aided now by the newly minted link. Spock crooned back at her and cupped Nyota's face as he rubbed his forehead back and forth against hers. She felt impossibly soft and cool to his hands; he couldn't help himself from petting her.

This, this is what he wanted–them together, sharing and open as they navigated life together on the savannah. He was going to build them a house and they would farm and herd there with his surrounding community of peers with the elders for guidance. He would show her places she had yet to go and adorn her in the finest robes. And as nature would have it, he would make her belly swell and grow round with child making a family of their own.

She was going to be his new family...family….wait family…! Spock gasped and broke the kiss along with the link as he looked about the room at Nyota's relatives.

As he gazed around the room he was met with two observations. While her family was still asleep, the stars and sky had shifted their position and color since he had entered. Checking his internal clock, he was shocked to find that he had melded with Nyota for over two hours.

Swallowing down the lump that was growing in his throat, Spock looked down at his dazed bride below and lighted his hand across her face. She closed her eyes at his touch and smiled. She trusted him now that he would not hurt her and though she could not deny her feelings for Asa, Spock's emotional fanfare within her mind had definitely changed her opinions about the mgeni. She enjoyed feeling wanted and she reveled in it once she was sure of his intentions. Marriage to Spock was not currently being considered but she did trust him. It was a start but he would have to consider it a loss with what he had to do.

Brushing her lips still swollen from their kiss, Spock pushed his influence to make her sleepy.

/ Don't...no...stay a while, Mgeni./

He shook his head and stared back at her.

/ I cannot. I must return home./

/ Is this...is any of this real?/

Spock nodded and caught her left arm by the wrist. Raising the thin limb to his mouth, the Vulcan quickly and neatly marked her with a bite. Nyota flinched and whimpered at the sting of his canines piercing her flesh but soon fell prey to the lull of his touch. As he laved her wound, she was soon snoring softly below him.

He did not want to leave her but Spock certainly no longer wished to stay in her home. Stealing one last touch of her psi point, Spock fumbled but succeeded in erasing their encounter from her memory. He was taught how to do so at a very young age in case a human happened to stumble across the Vulcan compound and tried to inform others of where the 'mgeni' men lived.

Though not as effective as a full grown Vulcan, his fellow peers had helped with the success of keeping their dwelling place and defective ship a secret. Now the knowledge came into use for ridding Nyota of their time together.

As he went towards the door and exited out of the threshold, Spock took heart that they would soon make new times. He took a stick from the ground and started to carved into the hard packed dirt of the entrance. Soon, he would have a beautiful and witty bride all to himself and with no rivals or family to steal her away.

" _kun-ut so'lik_ (I propose)."

And with the next passing shadow, he was gone.

Notes: Ok so I'm testing this out here, I have most of the chapters down the beginning, ending and most of the middle but if it doesn't look like it has a strong following I'll just work on this at my leisure and finish my other WIPs.

Disclaimers: The traditions depicted by the Maa and Banta people have only a mild semblance of their true, beautiful nature so consider the tribe I've created for this story as wholly fiction despite the research I have done to understand and reflect the history, languages and cultures the different peoples living in Kenya.

Swahili, Maa, Vulkusnu and all other languages depicted in this story have been gained by google translate, starbase10 and other language sites.


	2. Chapter 2

(SEVEN YEARS LATER)

In the hazy light of the mara's sunrise, Nyota sat anxiously in her mother's home. Drawing a deep breath, she tried to take in her surroundings as this would be the last time she would see them. A nagging urge to move up and out of the hut tugged at her as if her body had a place in mind where she should be.

It wasn't the birthday celebration she pictured for herself but that wasn't the occasion she was observing.

Aunts, sisters and cousins quietly attended her, rebraiding loose strands of hair, layering her wedding jewelry and tightening the pack behind her dress that would possibly prepare her for her new life should she live to see the next day.

Marriage was typically a three day jovial event filled with feasts, dancing and nonstop music but Nyota Uhura's was destined to be different. Seven years ago when she had just come into her womanhood, she woke from her pallet to her mother's piercing scream.

She and her siblings ran from their beds, rushing to where their mother was wailing against the threshold. They didn't have to ask what caused her outburst. There scrawled into the hard packed dirt was the swirling script of the Mgeni.

Nyota's throat constricted as her family threw themselves down on the ground at her feet, grieving as if she were dead.

That series of lines scrolled into the dirt were a declaration for the Uhura's eldest daughter, which pointed squarely at Nyota. The thought of never seeing them again shocked her as it had never before crossed her mind. All those that the mgeni had chosen who left before her had never returned so how would she be different?

Her sister Goma sobbed loudly in the corner, clutching the youngest child Bina. The chubby toddler looked anxiously from face to face as she tried to puzzle together what had made them all so upset. Speaking in Maa, she questioned their mother. "Mama? What?"

Upenda stretched out her arms and Bina ran into her embrace with a frightened expression. The matron sniffled and stroked her wooly braids tenderly. "Mama only has two daughters now, Bina."

The toddler, new to counting but proficient up to five, looked from her sisters to herself and questioned her mother once more. "But there are three, Mama! Three sisters here!"

Upenda rubbed at her wet cheek with her eyes furrowed shut and slowly shook her head. "No, not anymore baby. Nyota belongs to the Mgeni, the strangers. They marked our house for her now that she is a woman...my poor NyNy…" she sobbed.

Nyota tried fitfully to swallow but her mouth was dry as a drought. Her throat still refused to open as she took a deep, shuddering breath at the scene before her. Her dreams that night had been disturbing and it seemed they were spilling over into reality.

She had dreamed of a Mgeni actually, one a bit older looking than herself. He had been handsome as he was bizarre, looming above her like a specter in the night. They had spoken but their lips never moved.

A feeling came over her and she had been bolder than she ever had in her life towards a man. She had put her lips to his and an emotion like what she felt towards Asa budded between them, only stronger than she had ever experienced. It felt like hours that they touched and kissed but suddenly he pulled away and bit her arm. The dream had faded but strangely the mark on her wrist had not.

Nyota stared down at the deep punctures ringing her wrist like a mark of death.

She may as well have been dead because she knew in less than 10 years she was leaving to be married to a Mgeni or 'stranger' male. The history between their people was short but riddled with legends and questions. The Mgeni had personally helped their village and the other Maasai immensely with medicines, protection from neighboring nations and big game which sometimes picked off their livestock but with a price that could not be negotiated. It was always a bride, whether given or stolen.

Bina stared at her from the safety of her mother's arms as if Nyota had grown an extra head, still too young to understand the sacrificial mark of the elusive Mgeni tribe that lived somewhere on the outskirts of their tribal nation.

Nyota had glanced out of the door and at the new Mgeni script scraped into the dirt and with it the thought of all things she was losing today. She thought of Asa and the potential betrothal between them, imagined the children they would not welcome into the world, the holidays of her people, the marriage of her siblings and the passing of her parents. It was all gone, written away with the stroke of stick in the earth.

And from that day on, they too treated her as gone. They served food in honor of her at an altar they erected. She of course ate it but was made to eat at the shrine away from the 'living'. They prayed to their ancestors to watch over her as they left out things she clearly needed for day to day life.

They also heeded all the instructions given by the Mgeni tribe for their chosen sacrifice. Nyota's sex would never know the sting of a blade. Though female circumcision was common with some tribes in Kenya, those to the south near the Mgeni were generally left untouched. It was said that they favored the families whose women were whole. The Mgeni saw it as a sign of kindness and unity with nature. Goats and cattle herds were known to triple overnight along with bundles of goods left nearby the houses from a good, sound bride.

No one wanted their daughters stolen but they could do nothing to stop it short of not having any more children. So why not gain something from their loss not matter how lacking the goods were in comparison to their child?

Her hair was left to grow long like a warrior's and was regularly braided, ochred and oiled to retain the length. She was robed mainly in white with a scarf of solid blue to mark her status among the people as married but pure.

Through the years, her young body was hardened through extra labor, traveling long distances and lifting heavy weights. The Mgeni were said to walk from one nation to the next in a single night and were fabled to have the strength of a gorilla. Strong women with endurance were said to fetch a whole herd of the strange cattle the Mgeni would occasionally drop.

Though the women of her tribe were no stranger to a hard day's work, they were noticeably softer in comparison to Nyota's thin, wiry frame. Years spent collecting wood, setting snares and carrying water to all the homes of the village had whittled away at her figure, leaving her small chested with strong arms and thick corded legs.

Their local shaman had her memorize different words and phrases of the Mgeni's known language as well. Though she lacked the fluency she had with her own tongue or Swahili, she would be able to communicate with him or them should it become necessary.

Year after year, Nyota stuck out like a pale sore thumb among the women in a sea of red as they attended their daily chores. As her childhood friends sat pounding wheat for atta flour and suckling their first babes with gossip about their husbands, Nyota sat quietly to the side tending to the fires trying not to be envious.

She wanted these things, a house, a husband and baby but they were not for her to have. That wouldn't stop her though from secretly harboring the wish that perhaps one day she could.

It was a lonely life but it was the only one she had known since age 14 so she cherished it in a way that a prisoner relishes their last meal with a bittersweet acuteness. And like a captive's bondage, hers was now drawing to an end as the second mark was placed on their threshold last night.

Now in her 21st summer, it was her time to be turned over to the handling of the Mgeni and whomever among their males they had selected for Nyota to attend.

When her father came to take her out into the bush at sunrise, the women wailed and ululated in bereavement.

Among them, Goma was the loudest and became the unspoken leader of the mob.

"Why do you grieve?" they sang, lifting Nyota up from her knees. Gently they led her towards the door, all pushing and pulling as they physically expressed their woe.

"My sister's ghost is leaving me! She has been marked and she leaves me!" Goma pulled at her dress. The young mistress shook her closely shorn head from side to side with a sob, making a curious sound with the ornate beads of her earrings and headdress.

Nyota swallowed at the growing lump in her throat, putting on an air of serenity she did not feel in hopes of calming everyone.

Goma neither noticed nor paid her sister's quiet countenance any mind as she wailed in a sing-song lament. Her sentences started low and flew up into a shrill shriek as she counted her losses.

"I grieve because I lost her once and I now lose her once more. Her ghost is leaving and I am without comfort! Our children will never know you and your name will be forgotten! I am overcome!" Goma sang while wringing her hands around Nyota's red cotton belt. She yelled out and fell to the ground like a woman possessed, grabbing to her eldest sister's white and ivory checkered dress. "Do not leave us! The Mgeni will leave you barren and longing! They will crush your body and devour your spirit! They are not us! They are not from here!"

She clawed at Nyota's gown hem, crawling behind her like stalking crocodile, reluctant to release her hold. Nyota struggled to press forward at the sound of her wailing sister's warnings but she would not see a similar fate befall her or any of the other women present. She was chosen so she would go.

Upenda gathered the sobbing Goma in her arms and added her voice to the song with strange stand-alone verses. "She saves us. My daughter saves us all. She walks among the Mgeni now. Honor my daughter's ghost as she honors us by leaving. Be gone spirit! Depart from here!"

They stopped at the threshold and slowly pushed her out, symbolizing her crossing over to the next life. Stripping her of the red sash around her waist, the women fitfully keened into the fabric lining their hands as if it were the spilt blood it stood for.

Her father extended his hand but she did not take it nor did he expect her too. He looked off as he wandered slowly through the village center with a slow, swinging song of his grief. He did not perform it with as much zeal as his middle daughter but the words were strained as he imbued them with the pain he dared not show.

Nyota trailed behind him, trying hard to ignore the faces gazing at her from their curtained windows and doorways. Their walk was silent except for her father's voice, her heavy ornate jewelry and their scratchy footsteps over the dry dirt pathway.

Her eyes fluttered shut as she neared the end of the village and stepped into the forest. She did not want to recall the sight of leaving her home and going into the wild to become bound to a being. No, a monster, a demon so bizarre and beastly that her people and the surrounding nations called them the 'strangers'.

How could she ever come to understand these ogres who had chosen her? While she had been groomed, she still felt woefully unprepared. Simple, basic questions had yet to be answered like, were their men like her Maa and Bantu kinsmen when bare of their clothing? Were their men kindly to their women or cruel? Would she be bride to one or many? Would the mythical blood fever the men suffered from infect and kill her too? Would she be a wife, a slave or simply a sacrifice to their gods?

The unknown answers had Nyota's heart racing in fear as she plodded behind her father like a cow going towards its slaughter. She closed her eyes again and took a few deep breaths through her nose. She could do nothing but what she felt was best to do.

Asa had spoken to her time and time again in the past tense as was the proper way to speak with a ghost, offering to help deliver her spirit and body elsewhere by way of stealing her away from the tribe. She had refused him each time, though.

She more than any other woman there was more likely to survive the attentions of the Mgeni.

The others of her age were already on their second or third child and happy enough with their life. Who was she, who had nothing but training for being with the Mgeni, to subject another woman to a trail that had befallen her?

Nyota had thanked him each time however, admiring the single necklace he wore around his neck. She had made it so many summers ago, what felt like a lifetime now but he still wore it as a show of favor on his part. The last time he asked her, he stuck her once more with another question. "What keeps you in this bondage, Nyota? You are as free as your mind would have you."

She thought carefully as she allowed the touch of his hand on her arm. It was warm and callous and thrilled her to no end. No boy had dared to approach after her marking, let alone been so bold as to touch her so casually. But Asa had always been audacious, the first to volunteer at any task given to the juniors and had even taken on the role of village chief of the junior warriors, which was deemed to be unlucky. "I make my own luck," he had told her proudly when he announced his place among them, teasing that she had better get ready to beat the other girls away as he was sure to have his pick of wives.

And now his large hand was still resting on her bicep, slowly heating every inch of her in a way only a woman knows. She remembered the bedroom gossip the other women spoke of, about feverish shaking and uncontrollable heat at the peak of one's bedding. Is that how it would feel to be married and loved by Asa?

She bit her lip and made herself pull away. She had wanted him too much and his question along with his hand had reminded her of that. He repeated himself, still looking for the answer when she replied a full minute later.

"Just as you lead the boys in protecting the village from lions and elephants, so do I protect the wives and mothers of this village from the Mgeni. They chose me and I will not shirk my duty to the women or the village."

Asa nodded sadly in understanding and went from speaking Swahili into Maa. "Brave woman. The elephant does not tire of its tusks. (You carry your burden without complaint.)"

What Nyota did not say is how much the idea terrified her but she didn't think she had to.

When she opened her eyes, she caught her father's tired face glancing back at her. Seeing that she was alright, he wrapped his shoulder scarf more tightly around him and continued on silently towards the huge lake to the west.

They walked like that for hours in silence, only stopping to relieve themselves and take a drink from the water bladder slung over his shoulder.

The sun was their constant companion as it made a slow, burning arc across the sky, leaving the blue atmosphere an almost pale white at its peak. As if honoring their traditions, the animals of the mara and surrounding forest left them be, stopping only to watch them like silent sentries in the bush as the pair passed by the sun baked road.

It was nearly sunset when they arrived at the large, rusty outlook of dusty, orange boulders that was the designated drop point. No other women were present so it appeared Nyota was the only one to be culled from the nation.

Her father climbed up and waited for her at the top looking off towards the village in the east away from the mara. Nyota climbed up after him, careful to watch for snakes as she made her way up to the low lying summit. After she reached her father, he bound her feet and left her with another scarf to chase away the coming night chill. He avoided her frightened gaze as he wrapped it about her head and shoulders with more attention than was needed. "Baba is sorry, little one."

Nyota crushed away the tears but her father wept for her. He patted her forehead and shoulder, unwilling to chance hugging her as he warred not to run off with her. "Don't cry; you did nothing wrong. It was your silly old father's doing. I tempted the gods when I named you 'star'. The Mgeni come from a star so of course they would choose you. Oh please forgive your Baba…"

She shook her head but he mirrored her in protest. "No. I did this to you by letting you be so beautiful like your mama. It is no wonder why they would want to filch you from your people. Know that–"

He stopped as if startled by something she was unaware of before continuing hurriedly. "Know that your foolish baba loves you and will think of you often…"

He turned away from her and made his descent without a goodbye or parting touch for her to hold comfort in. As she lost sight of him she then allowed herself to cry. "Baba! Wait, Baba! Baba, Tafadhali! Tafadhali, Baba!"

But he was gone and the sound of his steps could no longer be heard.

A shiver racked her body as she sat alone in the open surrounded by a growing circle of animal cries. She licked at her lips and hugged at the thick, flannel scarf sprawled around her shoulders as she was engulfed inside the cacophony of the twilight chorus. She had never been so scared in her life but it was the waiting that made it unbearable.

She could feel the madness of waiting for the Mgeni to arrive burn at her mind but she soothed her nerves as best she could. She turned to watch the sun set in a halo of orange and red as the glow silhouetted the olive and fever trees off in the distance.

As she watched the sky go from hot to cool colors, she felt her body grow heavy. The constant state of alert coupled with the 16 hour walk had drained Nyota to the point of exhaustion. Fate accepted and seeking relief in any form, Nyota settled as best she could against the rock mesa and gave herself over to sleep.

Sleeping out in the open would normally be the last thing she would want but the sweet allure of rest was too tempting.

It was deep and dark when the sounds of the nighttime grass sea suddenly and completely stopped.

She shot up from her slumber, startled from the sudden silence. Her anxiety returned in a crushing wave as she looked around the dark grassland haphazardly.

The tugging pull to her body from this morning returned now in earnest, as she rubbed the scar at her wrist. She massaged her thumb against the ring to shed the tingling sensation centered there and coursing through her vein. She could feel something...or maybe someone was near and drawing closer, but it was a strange feeling that ran through her that she couldn't readily recall experiencing before.

Her terror grew as the unnatural quiet continued and the midnight sky blinded most of her vision. What was out there that made every animal within earshot go mute? Even the hyenas had ceased their cackling.

The sharp sound of a snapping branch over to the left sent Nyota scrambling in the opposite direction and into the solid heat of something large and very much alive.

She held her breath and stilled her nerves as she turned towards the figure she bumped into. The lurker stood up to its full height and left Nyota in its shadow. She gave a small sigh of relief as she realized the warm, bulky creature wasn't a lion or leopard.

A person! They must have been from another tribe she thought. Trading Maa for Swahili she implored for his help. "Please, I've been left for–"

The rest of the sentence was lodged in her throat as the moonlight hit his face. The pale pallor of his skin coupled with the arch of his brow and ears had Nyota stunned silent.

A Mgeni! That's why she hadn't heard him coming!

He loomed above her quietly with his face half casted in shadows, flaring his nostrils like a hare as he sniffed the air around her. He watched her with an intensity that was much more than unsettling as she slowly but surely crawled away from him. Those eyes, the way he stared at her was almost like he knew her. She had to get away! Damn those eyes!

Hobbled by the rope around her ankles, Nyota whispered curses as her escape from the male in front of her was thwarted. He took a silent step forward and she narrowed her eyes at him.

Something about finally coming face to face with her fear broke the dam that held her anger at bay. She would not cower like dog as she faced this male or her fate. He and his people had taken everything from her and in return for Nyota's sacrifice given her the stigma of an outcast and fear of her life. After years of personal torment and angst, she let loose the vault to her ire.

She stood and held his curious gaze like a lion would a hunter. "Mgeni! I am not afraid of you!" she shouted.

Her voice trembled from the anger that shook her. When he stayed silent, she growled and hopped forward invading his space. " _You_ took _everything_ from me!" she yelled. "EVERYTHING!"

Something about his eyes changed. The lids lowered and tilted upwards, perhaps in remorse but his expression reminded blank. She had been told that the Mgeni did not show their emotions but seeing it was wholly another thing. In the face of her rage, this boogeyman stayed as calm as if she were still sleeping, which infuriated her even more.

Unthinking, Nyota launched her fist at his chest with roar. Faster than she could blink, he seized her hand in his large palm and held it still before him. His skin was unbearably warm as he held her fist firmly in his grasp. She yanked and found his grip alarmingly sound. He had yet to struggle once against her flailing and she was giving everything she had as she pulled against his hand.

Panic set in as her anger ebbed and Nyota struck out at him again. "Let me go! Please!" she cried, gasping as he caught her other hand by her wrist. He looked down at her wrist and rubbed at the circular scar lining it with a hum. The strange pull returned full force and Nyota had to close her eyes against it to focus on fighting him.

" _Nam'uh hayal,_ " he said gently, pulling her up against him. Heat radiated off him like a hearth and Nyota wondered if he was feverishly ill or always this warm. " _Nam'uh hayal,_ " he repeated shifting to hold both of her wrists to one hand. She felt a feeling she did not recognize flood her mind as she relaxed in his hands. Somehow...some way, she felt that he did not wish to harm her. The words he spoke, that particularly phrase seemed so familiar but she was growing too fatigued to interpret his meaning. He felt warm and safe and she felt her body disobey her mind and relax against him.

Nyota wanted to rid herself of his attentions and buck against her circumstances but she knew...could actually feel his desire beating at her doubt.

Nyota watched as he took his free hand and aligned his fingers across her face. Taking a breath, he pushed against her cheekbone and above her orbital socket, softly murmuring in the Mgeni tongue. It sounded familiar but wrong...like Swahili spoken between a Ugandan and a Kenyan, who shared the language but had very rich, distinct cultures that influenced the way they spoke it.

At first there was just his whisper in her ear and then...his voice in her head! Frightened that he would eat her soul like Goma had warned, Nyota resumed futilely pulling at his manacle like grip around her wrists.

"No! NO!"

The voice grew silent as she shook his hand free of her face and screamed. It didn't matter that it would fall on deaf ears, she was terrified of this creature and his strange powers over her body. Maybe the Mgeni were benevolent demons that only exposed their true nature towards their wives!

"Please, please don't eat me! Oh God, help me! Help me!" she shrieked. Hot tears lined her face as Nyota thought of his possible barbarism. If she had to endure this beast's attention then she never wanted to know a man's touch.

" _I hate you_!"

He flinched at her words and she felt a small measure of satisfaction even though the statement made her equally pained. She didn't want to hate anyone, she just wanted to be left alone.

No, that wasn't true.

She had been left alone for so long that she had gotten used to the feeling like a pair of uncomfortable sandals. You wore them because they were the only ones you had and though they didn't quite fit you and pinched your sides, you took it on as a lesser evil of a greater pain.

Truth was she wanted to be loved. She wanted to be cherished like she saw Baba care for her Mama. She wanted to have her belly swell alongside her heart as she was loved beyond reason. Nyota wanted to be loved so hard that the strength of it would wash away the seven years of sadness she endured for being chosen.

But what love could come from being the bride of a stranger?

The male sighed and pulled her once more up against his body, crushing her small frame against him. She whimpered as he pushed her hands down at her waists and pulled at the collar of her wedding dress exposing her neck. There was a growing excitement radiating from his skin unveiled her shoulder. He tugged at the other side and lowered both halves down her body short of exposing her breasts.

"Vaksurik…" he whispered, tracing a finger up her throat and across her cheek. He was looking at her with an expression she had only seen Asa give her or her Baba give her Mama. A hot, stifling stare that made her equally heated. Her modest chest pushed and heaved at the fabric as she willed herself to stop hyperventilating from his exploration.

His fingers continued to brush across her face until they settled around her jaw. There the Mgeni tightened his grip and pushed her head back and over, baring her neck. She strained against his hand but he held her in grip similar to that of a butcher with a goat tightly under her jaw, preventing any movement lest she hurt herself.

Then with inhuman swiftness, the hand barring her wrists freed her and flew to her waist. He lifted right above the swell of her backside and guided her body closer to his, trapping her wrist once more between them.

A small plaintive sound left her mouth as he pushed her body up along his torso. Through the thick bulk of his robes, Nyota could feel the hot, hardened plane of his chest as it reverberated and shook with a curious sounding hum. In a show of ease, the Mgeni guided her up by the waist towards his face. Nyota gasped and hiccupped as she felt her feet leave the ground and hover inches above the ground. The male's mouth brushed against the tight curve of her neck and gave her skin a tentative lick.

"Please…" she pleaded in Maa.

" _Ni'droi'ik nar-tor,_ " he said softly before biting high up on her shoulder. She screamed and thrashed against his steely hold. Try as she might, his strength did not weaken which only pushed her efforts to free herself.

Eventually her adrenaline rush waned and her struggle against his hold left her a limp, hiccupping mess in the hot branding grip of his hands. As she went lax, the stranger hummed against her skin and pushed his plush mouth around the bite. A feeling of conflicted happiness flooded her as he pulled her closer to his face.

How in the world was she feeling happy? Conflicted yes, she felt like a mess of emotions but happy...that feeling was far from her.

If his strength and appearance weren't enough to make him alien, his bite felt like that of a cat's as his incisors dug into her tight flesh. She felt his dry, scratchy tongue swab up against the wound he had just made and somewhat soothe the sting. He licked at her for a while like this as she continued to feebly squirm.

Nyota bit her lip in shame as she felt her body react to the softness of his lips and raspy draw of his tongue against her neck. Her toes curled against the soles of her sandals and her clothes felt confining and irritating to her skin. A tight, fluttering heat was growing deep her belly and her legs brushed against each other in an effort to relieve the building heat. It was a feeling that had followed her throughout the years whenever she felt her ripening upon her but she could not reason why she should be feeling it now.

Satisfied that she would struggle no longer, the Mgeni lifted her with one arm as a mother would a child, cradling her up along his chest. She blinked up at him meekly as she caught sight of the caracal like points of his ears as he turned his head to face her.

He gazed down at her and idly caressed her cheek. " _T'nash veh,_ " he exclaimed, rubbing lightly against the angry looking bite mark around her neck with a touched that made her shutter. " _Du t'nash veh_."

His fingers slid down her neck and across her shoulder, taking a tendon between his thumb and middle and forefinger. " _Nyota, t'nash veh_."

A strange warm sensation ran from his fingertips up between her eyes in a dizzy sense of vertigo. His angular face tilted in a blur of color and suddenly there was black.


	3. Chapter 3

(SEVEN YEARS LATER: Spock's POV)

On the day that the healer set for him to retrieve his bride, Spock sat expectantly in the home that he had built. He had just finished meditating when he felt the first hot rays of the morning sun warm his face. He had built the master room off to the east to catch the first dawn's light and wondered curiously if his betrothed would favor his choice.

Nyota's face came into his mind unbidden and he felt his chest constrict. Soon she would be by his side and no longer sadly left to wander on the outskirts of her people. He would be hers and the crew of his grandfather Skon's ship would be her people.

He thought about what she might be doing now, as he changed his clothing for the day. Perhaps she was leaving or preparing to go. His fingers felt tense at the prospect of touching her, feeling her emotions as well as her soft, brown skin. As he fastened his shoes, he hoped that her adaptation here would be one that would make her smile like his mother now oftentimes did.

How would Nyota take to the transition between their houses?

Ever since he had expressed interest in the small human female, Spock had put all his energy into building this house for her arrival.

As a young Vulcan with a freshly marked bondmate, Spock had set off with a few male peers performing the same rites of passage to establish their own homestead. While the Vulcans had thrived in their new surroundings, they recognized the danger for the fledgling people if they all lived in one community. One major human raid could wipe them out for good and many had found that the human species was not one to be underestimated. Once the _kanlar_ (children) were old enough to fend for themselves, they were sent off as a satellite state with the crash site and remains of the ship as their hub.

The older teens, such as Spock, went out in search of territory close to the open Mara where the younger teens not yet mated could graze their collective herds.

It was during this time of establishing their settlement that Spock had stumbled across a small mesa of ruddy brown rock. The butte wasn't too far from a shaded water spring and had a large copse of trees nearby for woodworking not yet touched by termites. With plentiful fresh water and fertile soil nearby for small farm, Spock tested the tabletop formation and found it stable enough to carve into.

Like the Vulcans back at the main compound and the ancient ones of his father's home planet, Spock favored living in rock rather than freestanding clay brick houses like those of the Bantu or the semi-permanent huts of the nomadic Maasai people.

He began his construction, digging into the rock as his father had told him would best provide Spock's family with a shelter. The elements and the wild were very large components in how he did his masonry work, keeping the windows high and narrow and angled towards the ground so nothing unwanted could easily come inside.

Knowing no other home than the man-made cave his father had fashioned, Spock had very little problems with the planning the blueprints for his cavernous abode. When he tried to picture Nyota in the rocky dwelling however, Spock had a hard time seeing her fully contented with his arrangement. To keep Nyota comfortable in her new home, Spock decided halfway through his construction on a large riprap hut built against the hollowed out rooms he'd made inside the mesa.

To say it was labor intensive was an understatement and the first few attempts were riddled with mistakes. But according to the healer, Spock had seven terran years at his disposal to work and fix his errors.

By day he herded their Ankole cattle and at night he dug out and barreled through the rock until sleep overcame him. To pass the time, the young Vulcan imagined the life that he would have here with his bondmate. In his romantic daydreams, he found his encouragement to continue through his fatigue and frustrations, knowing that one day his bride would walk in these very rooms. And after a few years those stony cavities started to take shape.

Liberally using the rocky offal of the mesa, he made a series of rooms both in and off of the bluff. More out of want than need he constructed several different types, including a study, a guest room, a nursery and even a basement deep within the rock base for grains and storage. With all the extra space at his disposal, Spock still planned for the outside structure butted against the mesa to be their primary dwelling.

Long days spent herding and years of quarry work produced long, lean muscles and a runner's physique to his once gangly frame. Despite the Sol's somewhat harsh afternoon light, Spock's alien biology had yet to see him tan beyond the white gold shade of the dry Mara's grass.

Even with most of his time spent out in the open Spock remained frightfully pale in comparison to local people of Mara. Next to his peers his light olive complexion and tall, gaunt figure blended in smoothly, as his shoulders continued to broaden and taper down towards his ever narrow waist from his hard labor and a clean, hearty diet.

After six and a half long years, he finished their home and traded masonry work in for carpentry. With what little time he had left, Spock fitted the main rooms with furniture and everyday odds and ends from tea tables to a small wooden crib.

Making the tiny bed was as bizarre as it was exciting as he thought of the day he would have his own child to raise. He had seen Nyota tending to the younglings of her community and was pleased to see that she appeared amenable to the idea of having one of her own as she took extra time to mollycoddle them when their parents weren't looking. If she were prime for it and her body held its health he would be sure to provide her with as much children as they wanted.

In the last remaining weeks he took a series of trips back to the compound to retrieve his own hot plate, oven and lighting that they had salvaged from the ship. With the use of the leftover dilithium crystals housed near the engines, the Vulcans had been able to convert and harvest its power in an array of modern conveniences not presently found in their location.

As he installed them, Spock was sure that the hot plate would please Nyota the most. Being able to have heat hot enough to boil water at a moment's notice would leave her with time to tend to other things instead of kindling a fire. And the lamps were sure to be a strange but welcome curiosity, bringing daylight to rooms inside the mesa that would never naturally see it.

He would of course have to teach Nyota to operate the Vulcan technology but he could tell she was intelligent and quick witted and would have little to no problem with mastering the appliances. It was one of the many reasons he had chosen her and today she would finally be in his possession.

A rapping sound caught his ear and he rose from his pallet to answer the call from outside his door.

In the pastel light of the dawn his parents stood silently, looking as excited and anxious as he felt...or rather projected the same emotions from their familial bond.

"Safu," his father said sternly. "Leave your mother to tend to any last minute preparations as I escort you to the temple."

Spock nodded and stepped to the side as his sun tanned mother entered his home. She gave him a small smile that did not meet her eyes. He did not have to wonder to the origins of her mixed feelings.

When she was brought into the Vulcan encampment, there were no talks or legends to warn her of the dangers of the stranded Vulcans and their Pon Farr. At the most, Amanda had heard tales of pale faced boogeymen and pointy-ear incubi but like most westerners, did not heed in the alcohol fueled warning stories told by the men that helped transport her science equipment. But all legends had their birth in some form of truth.

Gently touching his shoulder, his mother gave Spock pause as he looked down to her small oval face. She was searching his face for something, of what he could not decipher.

"Don't be afraid to ask T'Kaas any questions you may have, Spock. You never know what might come in handy until the moment arrives."

"Yes, mother." He nodded.

She tightened her grip and pulled slightly at his sleeve. "Remember too, to have patience. Marriage is not a sprint nor even a marathon. It is a long, sometimes arduous walk with what could be your best friend or worst enemy. You don't have control over your Pon Farr or your wife but you do have control over your actions. Be a good mate, Spock."

"You have my word."

"Do not give your word to me; give it to your bondmate. Now go. I will prepare your house for her arrival. Listen to the healer." And with that she left the foyer and went towards their bedroom.

Spock turned and joined his father and soon the pair were off for the temple.

Today their healer had chosen for Spock to retrieve his bride and bring her among his father's people, just as Sarek had done with his mother. Spock had already gone back the night before to announce his intent and would fetch Nyota later in the cover of night at the appointed location for marked females to go.

The way his father had retrieved his mother, however, was one that no one liked to recall.

Dr. Grayson had been on an expedition trip, collecting research on the southern tribes of this land she referred to as Kenya when Sarek had seized her. Like the tokolosh boogeyman the people of Zimbabwe spoke of, he had awakened with a burning need and stolen Amanda away before anyone including herself knew what was happening.

The other Vulcans among them thought Sarek's choice had been wise as he left the tent interior in such disarray that her research party would have thought she had been carried off by a hyena or a rogue lion.

Spock did not join in with their consensus however. Her family would surely mourn her for dead and unlike Nyota she had no preparation for what his father had kidnapped her for in the first place.

Spock still had enough youth about him to be idealist and strive for change unlike the older members who were content to let matters lie.

Because when it came to marriage Spock did not approve of their ways. Choosing mates had become a contest of deception and intimidation all in the name of survival. The older Vulcan males had almost rallied the young ones outright to view bonding as a sport. Who could find the prettiest, the most ample, the sturdiest and the loudest one during their lovemaking had all been seen as ways of awarding points to a system that was despicable at best and degrading at its worst.

To some, the humans were no more than a means to an end until sometime in the distant future, the Vulcans of their homeworld sent another ship to scout the Sol's planetary system and recognized their signature. When he looked at some of the soft, frowning faces, Spock could not help but pity the poor human creatures that some of his kinsmen debased.

Pity was the last thing Spock wanted to feel towards his chosen but he could not help having to suppress the emotion as he watched Nyota cast to the side by her own people the moment he marked her doorway.

Spock wished his bonding would have been something different from what he had witnessed but it was sadly shaping up to be the same story with a different cast.

He wanted his wife to know him as his people knew him and not as her people perceived but as the lust grew from his upcoming rut, he could not think of a way to overcome that particular obstacle.

Spock thought of courting her in secret, leaving her flowers or polished beads for her jewelry making but her movements and schedule were erratic as she was at the beck and call of her extended family. She was viewed as a corporal specter, benevolent and revered but held at a distance as she could be called forth to attend them at any time.

Revealing himself would only cause problems for both of them as he could not predict her reaction. Vulcans, or Mgeni as her people liked to refer to them, did not mingle freely among the Bantu or Maasai.

They found humans to be wary of new people and concepts for many reasons. Most things were attacked first and questioned later, unless the humans in question felt they were at a greater disadvantage or would miss out on a potential opportunity to which then they would observe or flee. He could not chance any of those outcomes with her, not if he wanted to ensure her safety. Having a parlay with a village chief or shaman was one thing while doting on a human not taken in by their people was completely a different matter.

Absorbed by these and other thoughts, Spock paid little attention to his father's curious gaze. Sarek's presence was only to lead Spock to the temple for a _kash-nohv_ and purification ceremony. Spock knew his way there but he interpreted his father's accompaniment as for show for any passing Vulcans. It was a day each had looked forward to–Spock for his mate and Sarek for his status among the other elders.

The _kash-nohv_ melding was meant to prepare Spock for fully bonding with his chosen. T'Kaas, one of the three Vulcan healers, would guide his mind into hers and exchange the experiences of his now bonded brethren, giving Spock the knowledge of how to attend to his mate's wants and needs.

The purification process was both to spiritually and physically cleanse his body in anticipation of his Pon Farr and first bout of intercourse after bonding to his bride.

Spock felt his father prodding within their familial link as the elder tried to read his son's mood and coax him into talking. Neither relished speaking with the other but there was a deep and abiding affection between them nonetheless.

Sarek saw his son growing up in this strange world and flourishing while he struggled to adapt. He longed for the years when he spent his childhood growing up in the sandy warmth of Vulcan's two suns. Being a desert creature, Sarek found Earth to be cool and wet and the humanoid beings here, while highly intelligent, unable to relate with the concept of space travel and the experiences therein.

Spock saw his father under the same lens as he viewed the other males, as supercilious and largely apathetic. While it was true he could feel Sarek's deep affection and possessiveness of his mother, Spock's human half found their union severely pragmatic if not frigid.

Spock no more wished to be subjected to a gelid marriage than he supposed Nyota did. If she would allow him and more importantly accept him, Spock was sure he could show her the fire she kindled within him. Nyota had suffered too long under such conditions with her own kinsmen, being viewed as both a maid and a ghost to be made as bitter as his mother appeared to be.

After hours of walking, they slowly ascended up towards the temple entrance. It was housed in a long dormant volcano that housed all the Vulcans' most sacred items. Half the crew of the _Irak-wak_ starship had placed stone steps up and around the mount's base, blending the stairway as best they could from curious eyes that might want to see where they led.

As they climbed the first few, Sarek broke the silence with a question that laid just outside the boundaries of comfort. "Do you plan to fully consummate your bonding to your chosen?"

Spock blinked as his father omitted Nyota's name. Whether out of respect towards his son or a slight at his expense the younger Vulcan, Spock was hard pressed to tell the difference. Perhaps he was reading too much into his father's language and was being overly sensitive.

Spock decided to shrug it off as a mild form of deference, in honor of his new status among the _V'tosh_. As evasively as he could, Spock answered his father query. "If Nyota will have me, I plan to take all of her."

Sarek exhaled loudly through his nose and narrowed his eyes. "And if she protests?"

Spock swallowed as he felt the building exasperation growing between them. On this matter the pair never saw eye to eye. "Then I will drop the matter until she consents."

Sarek huffed and gave a haughty lift of his brow as he looked at the mouth of the cave. "Blood fever waits for no one's consent, least of all yours. If you believe that your pretty words and grand sweeping gestures will sanctify your theft of her innocence then you are more _human_ than I originally thought you to be. Nothing you do will indemnify her virginity nor pardon you for robbing your precious pet Nyota from her mother's house."

Before he could check his emotions Spock felt his fists clench and his chest rumble. A low menacing growl rose up from his throat and a toothy snarl displayed his teeth in warning.

It was happening more frequently, his quickness to anger, his desire for violence and the aggravating ache in his loins. He was nearly erect all the time now with only his hand to relieve him from the building pressure. Each time he performed the task, the more inefficient it became in granting him a reprieve from his lust. His time was coming upon him sooner than later and his father's words and his reaction to them hit a sore spot within Spock.

"Father, I aspire to do more with my wife than wed and bed her. I wish to know Nyota's mind and spirit as well; she is after all a sentient being. If I act brashly and think only of myself then she will surely come to scorn me."

Sarek shook his head and clicked his tongue. "Logically she will despise you no more than she fears you. Take your wife in hand, Spock, there will be time for tenderness later. Adorn her as you wish; provide her with animal flesh to eat and hides to wear if you care to but listen to **me** when I tell you to bend Nyota to your will sooner rather than later and you will have all the displeasure of raping the poor thing behind you."

"I _will_ NOT!" he snarled between clenched teeth as he glared at his father stony face. "She is _mine_ to take and I shall take her when _she_ pleases and not a moment before!"

Sarek ignored his son's hormonal outburst and gave a grunt of distaste. Clasping his hands inside the sleeves of his heavy robe his father looked towards the sun as it passed its zenith and started its descent. Spock knew his father sometimes found the weather to be a bit chilly and it looked like tomorrow was the soonest either of them would get a chance to sunbathe as the walk to the temple had taken good part of the day.

Spock took a few breaths to calm himself and savored his father's now quiet mouth. After a few minutes it helped to soothe him. With a heavy exhale, Spock cleared his lungs and focused on the entrance but he should have known that his father would not leave the matter until he had the last word.

"Such a definitive statement for one who does not yet know the madness of _plak tow,_ " he said with a sarcasm that his face did not show. "I waste my breath with you, Spock. You are even more stubborn than your pure blooded brother back on Vulcan."

Sarek squared his shoulders and raised his head up in a show of superiority.

As they rounded a bend and spotted the rough boulder that made up the second case of stairs, Spock huffed in relief. He was not sure how much more of his father's so called advice he could take but he was about to find out.

"We shall see how much you recant of your argument today after your blood fever takes ahold your body and dulls your mind. How long do you think you will make it Spock? Three days? Four, before your lust renders you senseless? We shall soon see, will we not?"

Spock turned on his father and gave him a stilted Vulcan salute and a formal goodbye. "Live long and prosper."

Sarek was gracious enough to take it as a sign to depart and left his son to venture into the cave with only a raised eyebrow to show his vexation.

He could take no more of Sarek. What he was asking him to do was defile Nyota and he would have no part of it. She was more than everyone made her out to be; he could feel it in the sleepy link between them. There was a wondrous world just waiting to be explored inside her mind and spirit.

As the shadow of the cave cast over him, Spock steeled himself for whatever he may encounter inside. The gray interior was clean-smelling and much cooler than the air outside. Trickling water and the shifting pebbles beneath his walking feet echoed throughout the wide, cavernous hallway.

From the dark corridor, large, windowless rooms branched deep into the gray igneous rock. Each was a different size and equipped with a specialized set of furniture to give its occupant the bare minimum of necessities. The first few lodges were for meditation, empty of everything but a thin, pale pallet and a nightstand with a pitcher and glass.

As the rock changed in character from diorite to granite, so did the rooms appear to change their function. The next six spaces were staged like bedrooms complete with heated brick lining the underside of platform beds as a comfort from the draftiness. _Birthing rooms_ , Spock thought idly as he spied the bassinets lining the bed sides. The last time he had been in one was the day he was brought into the world but depending on their fertility, Nyota might find herself here recovering on one of these hotbeds as she nursed their _kalanar_.

The nurturing image went from sweet to sordid as his imagination took over and featured them trying to conceive as Nyota arched and mewled beneath him. Spock felt his face flush in response and he tried to cast the thoughts away. No matter how much he was embarrassed by the scene, his mind did not waver from its current course.

The memory of her soft, scented skin giving under the weight of his bite resurfaced and tickled at his mouth. He shut his eyes against the recollection of her full lips locking onto his and stumbled against the wall. What was then an innocent show of affection now stirred his loins as his mind replayed the encounter slowly and often. His body wanted to finish what they started back then now that they were old enough to understand and do so. Why was his mind so discordant from his mind? He could still think and reason so Plak tow had not set in, he assessed with some relief as he pushed away from the wall. He had gotten carried away is all.

Spock blinked away the condensation falling from his brows down into his eyes from the muggy air clinging to his face. Rubbing away the water with his sleeve he made a curt, unhappy noise.

 _This is ridiculous_ , he thought. Taking a deep breath, Spock tried clearing his mind by performing an observation exercise.

On shaky legs, Spock continued down into the bowels of the temple as he looked over his surroundings. The dewy drops of moisture collecting and running in between the cracks of the wall settled him immensely as he tried to become a part of the moment. Slowly, surely, he turned away from his base and regained the full depth of his enlightenment.

A heavy sigh left his lips as he let go of the breath constricting his chest. Sarek's advice was heinous but his reasoning for offering it was not unfounded. He could not deny the pull of his compulsive mating season. His father continued harping on about it did not help but it was true that it was getting stronger.

From the frequency and vividness of his daydreams, it appeared that his fever could beset him in less than a fortnight. If he were more open with Sarek, Spock would have told him he craved Nyota's touch just short of how much he wanted all of her...

And he wanted her more than anything.

The question still remained however, did she or rather would she ever want him?

Spock ventured further into the cave and shrugged at the growing humidity. Heated aquifers that the crew exposed during their excavation bellowed up dense clouds of steam from vents drilled in to relieve stress in the building foundation. Spock supposed at the expense of privacy the wet air was a very little price to pay for going undiscovered.

He had only visited the healer three times previously and had never had reason to venture into the bonding sanctum which housed the hot springs. When he met T'Kaas after choosing Nyota, she had met him at the cave's entrance, standing just inside its maw as she instructed him along with his father in how he should go about establishing a bond. Now bonded and within Pon Farr's wake, Spock had to go down inside and meet her in their most sacred of places.

Spock continued to distract himself away from his Pon Farr ruminations by running his eyes over the veins of gold sprawled throughout the cave walls. From time to time, his eye would catch the telltale glint of diamond as he traveled down deeper into the hollowed out earth.

The elders among them had found the depression in the dormant volcano and set about making it a place of reprieve as they waited for Vulcan planet or any passing warp capable ship to receive their glitchy distress signal. As the days turned to months, months into years and years into decades, the stranded crew put more effort into making their existence here on Earth more sustainable and spiritually enriching.

While they did modify the natural caverns to suit their needs they actively worked to retain as much of the natural beauty and structure as they could. Phosphorous filled veils were planted behind crystal mineral deposits as an environmentally friendly and highly aesthetic source of lighting. A series of narrow tunnels had also been forged throughout the rock formation to funnel in elements from the outside. Depending on their size the conduits transported either clean air, fresh water or natural light along the walls of the main tunnel.

As Spock got closer to the entrance of the bonding sanctum he noted such a conduit which was gently pouring in fresh water from a nearby stream. He paused by the hollowed out rock where the water was collecting and bowed his head to drink.

The cool liquid refreshed his palette and settled his nerves as it trickled down past the lump knotting his throat. He couldn't recall a time where he had been so nervous about anything. Even his rite of passage into adulthood was more colored by excitement than fear but then again this time he was being made responsible for someone else's life.

He left the miniature well and went further down into the belly of the cave, following the triangular bands of colors projected onto the damp granite floor. Warm waves of humid air brushed across his face and ruffled his hair as he drew closer to the thermal vent that housed the hot spring.

The hall grew lighter as he neared the atrium styled room. A large hole had been carved out of the ceiling to display the patterns of the sun, moon and stars on the surface of the water as it reflected their light.

The rosy speckled rock arcing over the hot spring had been polished to a high sheen along with the exposed golden ore and diamonds, giving the behemoth atrium an ethereal feel from the haze of prisms and blinding white light of the sun against the water.

Spock entered through the jagged ovoid hole and stepped into humid chamber and lowered himself to the ground in reverence to the healer standing near the spring. She caught sight of him bending prostate on the floor and walked over to touch his shoulder. "Rise, Spock, son of Sarek."

The Vulcaness took on the role of healer after their exploration vessel was marooned here on Earth due to being one of the strongest female telepaths among them. Over the years she refined her craft and bowed graciously under the weight of her responsibilities.

Spock gingerly stood up and offered a salute to the matron attendant. "Greetings, T'Klaas. I seek the blessing of your knowledge and to purge my ka'tra of any ill intention."

"As is our way," she recited in response. She extended her arm towards the spring and gestured to his clothing with the other. "Rid yourself of all garments and kneel within the pool."

Spock shed his robes and shoes as she slowly made her way back to the spring. As he stripped and folded his clothes, he took a moment take the elder in. She was still quite young for a traditional Vulcan matron at 136 years old with only the slightest hint of grey at her temples. Her dark olive skin was complemented by the dark brown and burgundy of her robes and the thick golden thread lining her ornately braided bun.

He wanted to present Nyota a similar garb in orange and yellow as he understood those colors for her people represented happiness and stability. Perhaps receiving it from his hand would let her see how much he wanted to provide those concepts for both of them.

Finally free of his clothing, Spock made his way over to the spring and waded into the water. He couldn't help the sigh that left his lips as the blazing water licked at his legs and warmed his body. Modified equipment from the ship was used to provide the Vulcans with filtered water at both heated and cooled temperatures but the machinery never reached this pleasantly warm degree.

Spock trudged over to the lip of the pool and knelt down into the water. The water rose up past his navel, giving him an illusion of privacy as he stooped before the Vulcaness. T'Kaas slowly made her way over to the water's edge and waited for him to be still.

She paid Spock no more mind than a mother did her naked babe as she laced her fingers against his cheek. "Your thoughts...give them to me."

His lids fluttered shut as he felt a tingling buzz followed by a fluid pulse as T'Kaas captured his mind. Quickly but carefully she wove her way over to his memory and tapped its banks.

"I shall now impart you with the memories of those of us who have bonded with a human mate. May this knowledge serve you well."

Spock could feel her gently weaving a vision of her father's retrieval of his mother and his thoughts therein for his benefit. Personally, he did not want to know more than what he already did but he would not forsake a gain due to his own discomfort.

There in his father's mind, Amanda was stunning. He had been so taken with the pale scholarly creature before him that bordered obsession as the heat of his fever slowly claimed his logic. Spock huffed in surprise and in awe at the revelation. He definitely mirrored that sharp brooding towards Nyota but had no idea that it was commonplace among his people towards their mates.

There was a quick cut away from Sarek's point of view to that of his mother. She had been terrified the first few months of her kidnapping but as she saw that Sarek meant only to have her as a wife, she set aside feelings of loathing and bitterness in turn for the wonder of carrying Spock in her womb.

As far as Spock was able to discern, she never came to trust him and understandably held a grudge against his father for stealing her away from the only life she ever knew. After suffering under the throes of his blood fever and his aloof like behavior, Amanda looked for happiness and escape elsewhere. The bond forged between them knitted her to Sarek in a way that was almost painful when she put distance between them.

Amanda could not understand why if something hurt her Sarek, who supposedly loved her, would still go through with it. Sarek for his part tried everything Vulcanly possible to give Amanda anything that would make her happy but it felt like nothing ever did.

Years of tense interactions and ennui passed by and he felt his heart grow heavy with worry at what this arranged marriage and forced bonding meant for him and Nyota. Would his bride always regard him as his mother regarded his father?

Answering his unspoken question, T'Kaas knit another vision inside of his head of Kov and his bondmate, Hadiya. When he came to take her home, he greeted her bearing gifts and sweet words in Swahili. She had been taken aback by his generosity and charmed by his gesture of learning her language. From his kindness the petite, shapely maiden went with him willingly, pleased to find that he was not the monster she had long imagined him and his people to be.

Pon Farr for them had been tiring but thrilling, as Kov sought to please her in any way he could. He was…

Spock looked for a word to describe the feeling that he saw reflected in Kov's ka'tra and T'Kaas pushed the definition forward in an array of memories. Each was more vivid than the last as the Vulcan males took their first look at their present day mate while she was still not his. It was a burning feeling, a throbbing ache in their chest coupled with a fluttering of heart palpitations against their side.

 _Shon-ha-lock_ (Engulfment).

It was a word that was purely Vulcan but he bore witness to feelings even humans fall prey to in the collective experiences. Kamara had felt something similar in her first meeting with Revok as he carried her as easy as parcel all the way to their new home. Ada had been absolutely taken with sight of her Sulak as he came towards her with his mahogany chest bare and his green eyes trained on her with a heated stare that made her feel bare.

His hope was rekindled by the recollections, maybe Nyota would come to feel something towards him. Pleased that his spirit was at rest and his intentions were set, the matron closed out the link with a few departing memories of how to care for his mate in ways that the others had come to learn the hard way.

Withdrawing her warm fingers, the whirlwind of flashbacks came to an end as T'Kaas quietly left his mind with an ease that stunned Spock.

Spock's eyes remained closed as he review each memory like a prize collector, inspecting each bonding with fervor. Despite his inexperience sexually and romantically, Spock felt even more assured of having a successful marriage and mating with the anamnesis of his brethren.

The shuffling sound of fabric had him opening his eyes to see the healer reaching into a small bag tucked into the thick belt of her robes. When she pulled it back her hand was filled with aromatic sand and herbs.

"Set your intentions; think of your mate and be still."

Heeding her commands Spock stayed motionless as she poured the sand over his head and locked her hands under his jaw. Digging in her nails, T'Kaas exhaled and stilled above him. One moment Spock was deep inside a cavern on Earth and the next he was floating listlessly in space. A mild sense of panic washed over him as the vivid details of the cosmos toyed at his sense of reality but there was T'Kaas standing beside him amid the gaseous clouds of stardust.

She spread her arms wide and spread her fingers out while nodding for him to do the same.

He uncurled himself from the fetal position he had assumed and mirrored her stance, his arms held out strong and steady.

/Feel our people Spock. Take your place among them for you, your heart and your soul. You are bonded to this planet but you still hold blood forged on the other./

Spock knew that she was referencing Nyota with her talk of heart and soul and took courage in the thought of taking her in among them. Straining, Spock concentrated on the vague feeling of a planet he had never been to before. He stood there in the astral field of T'Kaas's mind working and waiting for something to happen as minutes turned into hours.

Perhaps he was not Vulcan enough to engage in this exercise, not enough like his father to take a place among them but his growing doubt was dashed as he felt something...something small and quiet that he would not have noticed if the elder had not encouraged him to be still.

He felt his body sigh in exhaustion and relief as he moved closer to this distant mind and was rewarded with another pulse and then another. Soon the bulk of the Vulcan race was surrounding him in a muted, abstract mass.

If he felt any disappointment in not being able to communicate with them it was soon forgotten by the overwhelming awe of being a part of something so...surreal. They milled around him slowly, gently gliding against his _ka'tra_ in a vague sense of familial connection.

/ _k'war'ma'khon_...they can feel another Vulcan seeking their presence so they have quieted their mind and extended themselves towards you. It is a vibration of our existence and unique to who we are as a people./

/Can they speak with me as I can with you?/

The mental image of T'Kaas shook her head in unison with her physical form and sighed lightly.

/ Finding the others already takes a good deal of time and even more energy, finding someone mentally experienced enough to try and communicate with is another. Especially if there is no existing bond between us. Even if I were to have such an instance happen I would not be able to survive the mental strain long enough to communicate even the simplest picture or phrase. Three of us had already tried, those more practiced and experienced than I and each perished during their task. I would have tried myself but I am needed as a healer and elder more than a rescue beacon./

Spock was surprised to feel a glimmer of sadness pass over T'Kaas before she repressed it down. Noting his curiosity, she delved deeper into herself and nudged Spock to look closely. Behind her was strange haze with three points of concentration in the center of the gaseous cloud. Within those glowing masses were large gaping holes, each of them burning from the inside out.

/ This is what I have left of my connection with my family back on Vulcan. My first bondmate, my daughter and my son./

Spock looked on in mute horror as the links slowly disintegrated like paper cinder. On closer inspection he saw an occasional neuron sparking up into a hot red ember glow before turning a dull dark gray.

/ The links have not been reestablished for quite some time. That coupled with the great distance between us has stretched the bond to the point of fraying./

/ Could they be repaired?/

T'Kaas eyes narrowed into what was considered a Vulcan expression of a smile and gave slight sigh for the heavy surge of melancholy that inspired it.

/ Unless they were to locate us now, rush to our aid and do so with my family aboard the vessel, I do not believe that the bonds could be salvaged. Being taut for so long has left them brittle and ruined their former elasticity. I hypothesized that even if my former mate were to come, the link between us will no longer function as it once did and he would still...feel a far ways off even if he were to stand before me./

Spock swallowed and fell silent in the face of her tragedy but she shrugged it off as a matter of fact.

/ What is, is, young Spock. You will find this to be true later in your life, truer still in your marriage./

Spock nodded, half in acceptance and half in foreboding. Was there something about a lifelong commitment that he had yet to comprehend? Well, of course he had never engaged in one so there were sure to be things that he was going to learn about. With that in mind the young Vulcan felt this rite of passage to be sound in logic as well as personally gratifying. Nyota was not only comely but quite bright. From stolen afternoons away from his own chores he would watch her finish hers which entailed learning about his people.

A good deal of what she was taught were half-truths (basically urban myths at this point) about Vulcans or what her people called the Mgeni. Spock knew their view of his father's people to be colored by cultural comparisons and lack of exposure but he was pleased to see that Nyota asked a good deal of questions.

Here was a human female that was not content with simply being told something was the way it was just because. Nyota always wanted to know how and why. Such intellectual curiosity was as comforting as it was arousing. Spock was sure to overcome whatever difficulties they may face after their nuptials with her desire for understanding.

T'Kaas withdrew from his mind completely but let her fingers linger at his jaw. Slowly the tendrils of her touch sank into down into his cranium like tidal water into sand. Though disengaged, Spock could feel the new link between them like a new piece of jewelry, not uncomfortable but hard to forget. "A bond?"

"A temporary one. When your Pon Farr comes and you find yourself needing guidance, I will know. I doubt your bride will state _Klee-fah_ but just in case she were to, I would guide you through the meditation if you're not too far along in _Plak tow_."

Spock nodded and rose up stiffly from the water.

"You are ready. Go now."

Spock wasted no time and dressed immediately. Sometime between slipping on his outer robe and shoes, the elder had quietly slipped away somewhere else in the sanctuary.

With a speed he didn't know he possessed, Spock flew across the savannah, his brown robes whipping behind him as he went towards the ceremonial exchange location. The low hanging sun burned at his back, pushing him faster. Nyota would be left like those before her for her husband to retrieve and take back to his home and he did not want to keep her waiting.

Unlike those brides that had been left behind, however, Spock had no intention of fully consummating their marriage until his wife was ready. He had seen and consequently felt the fear of the bride second hand through the healer's meld. Though it seemed that many had come to welcome their husband's touch, there was a definite layer of mistrust or pain that had to be worked through to get to that point.

By getting to Nyota as soon as possible, Spock sought to woo her before his Pon Farr fully set in from her presence. In this task he felt very confident. With from his observation over the years, Spock had come to know a few of her likes and dislikes which would definitely come in handy. And now with the information he had gleaned from the healer about having a human wife, he was sure to earn her favor in a matter of days if not hours.

Stopping only to relieve himself and rehydrate, Spock arrived at the rendezvous point a few hours after last light. The bluff was empty but for one lone figure resting on its top. He stopped to catch his breath and survey the area. His eyesight was better than his mother's but not as rich as his father's.

She had been sleeping but was now awakened by the silence of the savannah night. He quickly surmounted the bluff only to find her crashing into him. As she turned Spock's throat contracted in awe.

It had been so long, seven years since he had last been this close to her and she was breathtakingly beautiful. In her young womanhood, her skin was smooth and firm, hugging her body in a warm, rich brown like the shell of a shea nut. Her plush lips parted in a smile of relief, revealing a pearly hint of teeth as he slowly stood up before her.

She said something in a language that was neither Swahili nor Vulkusnu but melodic none the less as her voice gave it life. She was heavily adorned and beautifully ornate for the occasion, her nails hennaed, her eyes thickly lined with kohl, and her hair braids were arranged in a design that accented the crown of beads and mental resting on her head.

For months he had watched her in his search for a mate and for years he had observed her thereafter, waiting, longing and biding his time for this very moment when he would receive her. She was radiant, perfect in his eyes as she favored him with a smile and the extension of her hand.

For a moment he was pleased beyond measure, he was here and she was pleased to see him. But as the light came back from the cloud cover, she recoiled in shock.

Scrambling back, he saw her fear and sought to assuage it but she went on the offensive. Immediately she launched into the beginning of a tirade, sneering at him with that lovely face as if he were some immoral lout. At his countenance and soft words, she paused and stood.

"You took _everything_ away from me. EVERYTHING!"

Hobbling towards him, Nyota's heart shaped face went from anger to rage as she yelled and struck out at him. He gently took her hand and then the other as she tried striking him again.

Loneliness, fear and heartache singed him like a flame as he held her fists and closed the space between them. He had never been so assaulted by anyone's emotions before and to know that he was the cause of them hurt him almost in equal measure.

"Calm down," he said trying to soothe them both but this only stoked her fear as she whimpered something about him. She probably caught sight of his teeth and concluded with him pulling her closer that he was hungry. "Calm down."

" _Nakuchukia_!" she spat back at him.

Spock flinched as the venom of her words lanced through his arms like white hot barbs. Through their link the Vulcan felt her emotions as much as he comprehended them. At his balking Nyota seemed pleased but only for a moment. She quickly cooled, appearing to be just as wounded from the strength of her conviction. She was in pain and lashing out was hurting both of them.

He wanted to settle her, make Nyota understand and free her from this mental anguish. A meld between them was his second plan after trying to talk her down with words and with the fledgling bond between them it should work well. Aligning his hand when she gone relatively still, Spock spoke the words of guidance as he pulled her mind up towards his. At the beckoning of his psionic touch Nyota jerked her head and screamed.

Spock looked down at his ailing mate with a strong sense of failure. He had done nothing but riled her further. Leaning on his newly gained knowledge, Spock decided to try a few tactics the other males had employed.

Summoning all the lust and infatuation within him, Spock drug Nyota up his body and caressed her face possessively.

"Beautiful," he chanted dragging his finger down her neck until it butted against her dress. Whether she comprehended or was confused by his words, Nyota stilled at his crooning and studied his face. The intensity in which she stared at him heated his cheeks a faint shade of green as he felt himself flush with pleasure.

Emboldened by her attention, Spock firmly pulled down at the collar of her dress until the ivory swath of cloth was riding along the warm swell of her right breast. A dark slither of her areola peeked up from under the collar in sharp contrast to the creamy fabric and Spock felt his lok stir in response. If he tugged just a bit further he could glimpse what his body lusted to see, touch and taste but fear of losing himself held his temptation at bay.

He did however mirror the image by pulling at the other side, his eyes tracing the rich, buttery brown skin with a hunger that had nothing to do with his stomach as she squirmed in modesty. She made a sound, small and delicate and Spock's eyes snapped up towards her own. The wide black rimmed crescents had grown teary and unfocused as he pulled her closer, watching his blushing face as he manipulated her clothing to his liking.

"Mine," he said hoarsely. Tracing her jaw line he felt her stir at his attentions, positively in fact. "You are mine."

Though she was frightened, she marveled at the gentleness of his callous hands as his fingers released her fists and took up roaming over the rest of her instead. Her thin arms trapped between them locked Nyota in place while Spock traced the line of her back over her dress. The other held her neck right where her head met her spine in a careful, nervous grip. It was like holding a bird, he thought, looking down at his bride as he imagined her heart fluttering against his chest if he were to hold her skin to skin.

He had made sport at catching barn swallows as a boy along with peers and had always been meticulous when it came to handling them as they struggled to escape from his large, gawky hands as he fumbled between trying to cage the metallic blue bird and cradle it as its wide, stubby bill gaped open in protest. Unlike the birds he had held, Nyota proved to be a challenge for his perseverance. His prize was finally in hand but like a small sweet given as a treat, he did not want his greed to get the better of him and consume the confection all at once. All they had now was time but it was hard with her looking as devastatingly gorgeous as she was and not wanting all of her at once.

In an effort to check himself from overthrowing his moral reservations, Spock allowed himself a small, welcomed waft of his scent on the thin skin at her shoulder. His nose flared as the woody musk coupled with the warm spice of her, urging him to take just another sniff to truly savor the moment he was presented with. Dipping his head lower, Spock brushed the tip of his nose along the shallow depression above her collarbone gathering more of that heady perfume until he felt lightheaded from effort. He was at her neck now, unaware that he had moved away from her chest and just following the motions his body wished to make. He wanted to taste her so he did so, gently pressing his lips on the straining muscle there as she fought to curl her head down to meet her shoulder.

A distinctly feminine noise left her lips at the touch of his tongue and Spock felt his chest reverberate with a purr. He pulled away slightly and glanced back down at the smooth copper column in his hand. At the sight and taste of her unmarred flesh, a wave of energy surged over him similar to that of nausea that made him ache to bite her. With involuntary swiftness his mouth strained to open and clamp down her neck to both of their horror.

His upcoming fever reared up and flared at the sight and smell of her and now at her taste, Spock was beset with the urge to mark her once more as his. "...I'm sorry," he lamented before his body lurched down caught her neck with his mouth. She arched against him and keened as his teeth plunged inside her. His eyes fluttered shut as his jaw locked and held her, filling with a small, trickling tang of her iron based blood. She gasped against him as his hands began to rove across her. He was careful in how he did so, nothing to entice either of them too much but enough that each was bothered by the time he started lapping at her wound.

Another one of those delightful little trills left her mouth as he brushed his lips under her ear and withdrew to look back down at her. Her eyes were glazed and her mouth was parted as she took a hiccupping breath in. Her legs shifted and the smell of her arousal hit him like punch.

In stark objection to his mind's want, his body answered the call of her own in painful need. He could not do this now, not after his concession to honor her consent just to take it away now but if he didn't stop this now, his fever might actually overwhelm him.

"Mine," he croaked over the tightness of his throat. With one hand at the small of her back, Spock used the other to trace her cheek in assurance. "You are mine."

Dipping lower, his fingers circled the freshly made mark at the base of her neck. "Nyota. Mine."

With practiced grace that was almost reflexive, he ran his fingers over the brachial plexus of her shoulder and shorted her nerves with a short but powerful blast of energy. At the sound of her name, her face morphed in confusion before she fell unconscious. It probably was baffling for her to hear him speak her name without introduction but that was all in due time.

With a deep, steady breath he carefully placed his bride over his shoulders and made his slow descent down the bluff. Once on the ground, he shifted her again so that he could more readily run and took off towards their home.

Spock hurried through the dry brush with his prize over his shoulder, huffing as he worked his legs over the dry brush of the savannah. Her cool, limp weight resting lightly over his shoulders excited him as the realization of her presence and what it meant hit him.

Finally he had his mate! Considered sullied by his human heritage, he was not allowed to choose from the small pool of available Vulcan females. Even at a very young age Spock looked for a bondmate among the local population of humans but only seriously searched after his dad's failed attempt at pairing him with T'Pring.

To say that Spock had been particular was an understatement as he had spent more than 15 years watching and observing the local villages surrounding the area but from the first moment he saw or rather heard Nyota, he was shaken with emotion.

While out searching for guinea fowl eggs, he heard a voice carry over the air. It was light and high like that of a young girl but its full bodied range denoted its talent. Gathering the clutch of eggs he used the tall grass of the Mara to hide his approach as he closed in on a group of younglings from Namanga. Settling near a lone tree, Spock peered over the grassline and spied the gathered children in a clearing set in two gendered lines.

The boys used polished, hollowed logs and sticks to drum out a beat while the girls clapped their hands to drive the tempo. All of them were dancing but the young females had more flamboyant movements, with jumps, twirls and shuffles compared to the boys singularly leaps and stomping.

Nyota was in the middle of the girls' line, leading them in song with a grin that reminded Spock of the wideness of the Mara. She sang better than danced but her steps were done in confident strides.

As Spock listened to her sing that day, he chose her. Not familiar with the Maa language he did not know the words but he understood its meaning. It was one that all beings knew that were young and vibrant. To those for whom the world seemed new, this driving chorus was not only sung but lived out in the reckless exhilaration of risk and chance.

It was a song of strength and joy, of innocent arrogance that Spock admired and basked in just as Nyota did as she spun and acted out in her spirited dancing.

He did not dance along because as a Vulcan he didn't know how but he wanted that embodiment of Freedom, Nyota Uhura, to be with him for life so she could dance in lieu. She would give expression to those things he could not and he would cherish her for it.

A/N: Story is not complete and I will update at least two chapters a week. Thank you for your patience and I don't think you will ( hope you won't) be disappointed. Thanks to Dimplz for the edit review and update. Tessie39 thank you for starting me writing again, miss you.


	4. Chapter 4

( The following day after her retrieval: Nyota's POV)

Nyota woke up to the sun riding high in the sky and the sweet smell of rooibos tea. She rose slowly and surveyed her surroundings, pausing as she caught sight of the Mgeni from the night before sitting in the far corner near the door.

He was watching her quietly as he took note of her rousing from her sleep. Nyota froze under his gaze, seized by the intensity behind it.

His expression was mild but his eyes were far from it as his eyebrows rose and lifted the shadow that they were casting onto his face. With that single motion, the male went from threatening to curious in a matter of seconds as he softened the crease to his brow.

As the silence stretched between them, Nyota gathered her nerve and tried greeting him. She sat up straighter and moved her lips but her voice cut out from dryness. Even with the water her father had given her, Nyota felt the dehydration of yesterday's trek bearing down on her with the stiff, sandy feeling of her tongue.

Her hand came up to her throat as she tried to speak again and popped out in a squeak as her husband moved from the corner towards her. She closed her eyes and prepared herself for his touch as she heard his approach for the shuffle of his heavy embroidered robes but instead heard the trickling sound of water from the teapot pouring into a cup.

She opened her eyes to see him replacing the pot on the stand over a very curious looking rock that burned a bright, red violet. He picked up the clay cup, the small mug disappearing inside his large hand and placed it down in front of her. He leaned back and made no moves closer nor further away from her.

Parched, she cautiously took the cup while eyeing the male for any sudden movements. For his part Nyota's new mgeni husband remained silent, slowly blinking at her as he watched her lift the mug to her lips.

Nyota sipped the hot brew as quickly as she could manage without burning herself. Instant relief flooded her as the hot liquid hit the back of her throat as soothed the soreness there from yelling and crying. As the heat spread down into her chest, Nyota felt her body release some of the tension knotted throughout her body.

Red bush tea was rare to find in the Mara as it originated in a country far to the south but she had been served the herbal brew enough to appreciate its calming effects. She finished with a sigh, licking her lips when his warm fingers brushed hers. Faster than she gasped from being startled, he retrieved the mug to refill it.

Nyota blinked in confusion with a twist of her lips. Was she misinformed that Mgeni only touched others to eat or mate with them? Within the short span of time they had been together this one had touched her countless times and had not mated…

She gasped again, scuttled on her bottom to face away from him as she pulled up her skirt and checked her sex. She could not remember anything after he held her but something might have happened during that time lapse.

"You are intact," he answered quietly in Swahili, placing her mug back down on the floor. "I have not taken your maidenhood nor will I without your consent."

Nyota wheeled around to study him again. A feeling of unease gripped her as she looked over his smooth, placid face.

As aloof as this Mgeni may appear or as proper as he'd like to present himself, Nyota would not be lulled into a false sense of security around this creature. She could recall last night how easily he had subdued her and knew at any moment this...this 'man' could take her beneath him but…

"I am Spock. I am honored to have you as my bondmate. I hope that you will find the arrangement equally suitable," he said in the lilting language of his people. The words were musical coming from his mouth, his lips and tongue shaping the round vowels with a grace that she had yet to gain.

Nyota almost felt embarrassed as she tried her hand to answer in the same tongue. "I am Nyota. I hope for the same."

Her answer seemed to please him because he squared his back with a roll of his shoulders. Perhaps he felt some small measure of victory with her talking with him. "Yes, Nyota."

"You already knew my name though…? I heard you, last night…" she said while cradling her mug.

"I have known your name for a long time. I've heard others call your name, like your siblings and your parents," he replied staring down at her mug's twin sitting empty beside the teapot. "You should pour for me. It is our way."

With only a huffy exhale to signal some of her annoyance at his 'culture lesson', Nyota nimbly poured the brew into the mug and handed Spock the mug. She was careful to put her hands on the bottom so he could easily retrieve the cup by its sides but once again went out of his way and held her hand between his own with caress to her wrist before taking the mug away. It was not lost on her that he had brushed the umber oval scar there and let his eyes linger there long after he had retrieved his cup.

"You've been watching me?" she asked picking up her own mug with a sip.

He nodded not the least bit embarrassed to be called out on his blatant stalking. "That is how I chose you. Your high measure of beauty, athleticism and intelligence made you an obvious choice for pairing. I was pleased to have secured you as quickly as I did. I am sure that my peers would have marked you for themselves."

She had also been told that her Mgeni husband would come to her out of his mind in lust and rage towards any who would steal her but this man...male... was sharing his morning tea with her. Not only was this mgeni being amicable but gentle with her as well. As he retrieved her last night there were many times that he apologized but he never said in reference to what. Was his courteousness a ploy to bed her or his actual disposition? Nyota wondered what else she had wrong.

"Would you care to eat?"

She looked up from her tea and nodded, suddenly famished. Exhaustion and fright had dulled her appetite but with the little stability this conversation provided it had awoken and gnawed at the pit of her stomach. "Yes please."

Silently he rose from his seat, his thick, russet robes bellowing out around him as he carefully extended a half folded hand towards her. Nyota looked from his hand to his face and back again before reaching out with her own.

Midway there his other hand caught hers and quickly arranged her fingers to mirror his before withdrawing just a swiftly. Nyota noted the position and saw nothing particularly interesting about it. The pointer and middle out while the ring and pinky were tucked against the palm and held in place by her folded thumb.

Reaching out again she brushed her fingers against his and recoiled with a jerk at the strange electric current that coursed through her from his hand. She held her hand and glared at him with a look of betrayal. "What did you do?"

"It is okay. It will not...I will not hurt you," he assured her.

Nyota rubbed at her fingers which were still tingling with that heady buzz of...him? The suddenness of the unnerving exchange caught her wholly off guard but did not hurt her just as he said.

For someone who spent their whole life having to read body language and listen to how people felt, being able to pick up on the emotions was far beyond Nyota's imagination. It almost felt like she could hear his thoughts and what she transcribed from Spock both pleased and annoyed her.

She could feel him, how desperately he wanted to touch her but even more than that how much he desired for her to touch him.

"What was that? Why did you bend my hand and why could I...feel you inside me?" At her last question Nyota blushed at her phrasing but Spock appeared ignorant of the innuendo.

"It is called _Tel'oztea_. It is performed between mates as a sign of affection and to share each other casually."

Nyota narrowed her eyes and bit at her lip. His language was still confusing at times to her ears and she wasn't entirely sure what he meant. Share each other? "What would we share?"

His large, dark eyes trained in on her as he peered down his nose. "Our minds and our emotions. I find myself very satisfied by your presence and I wished to share it with you."

Nyota nodded while still nibbling on her lip as his explanation squared up with her conclusion. When they touched she gathered that he felt very highly of her but Nyota could not say that she had the same strange longing or affection she had felt from him.

Did she really want to touch him and have him feel her apprehension and simmering anger? How would he react if felt her negativity? Would he withdraw or lash out in anger?

Nyota sighed and rubbed her face. It felt like she had waited 3 lifetimes for this day to come and then suddenly it was on her like a hawk snatching a meerkat. It was all too sudden and bizarre; when would she wake up?!

In her pause, Spock shifted his side to face her, leaving an opening for the door. "If you do not consent then I we will not perform the _tel'oteza_ and I will simply escort you to our dining room."

As he spoke she could feel the weight of his words far back in the recesses of her mind. Though she didn't know how exactly, Nyota knew he was telling the truth. So then, this alien being of a husband wanted love and affection as any man would but would not force her hand? Somehow knowing the desire he battled against while still offering her a choice helped to make Nyota's mind up.

"No. I will touch you."

His eyes widened slightly in what she thought to be surprise and the corners of his mouth quirked up at the sides in a hint of a smile. "Come, then."

Hands fully extended, the pair lighted brushed and held their fingers against each other and made their way to what Nyota made out to be the kitchen and dining room. As she tried to take everything in, the weird feeling came back from his hands into hers. He felt proud to show off the house and everything in it, it must have been a particular point of concern.

"You and your brothers made this house?"

Spock curled his fingers around hers and shook his head minutely. "I made our home. Do you find it to your liking?"

Nyota fought the urge to withdraw her hand from his grip as a giddy pride fizzed and popped from their small embrace. She took a quick glance at his face and sure as a leopard's spots it was blank of the emotion she felt welling up inside him. How strange…

"I believe I do like the house, though I have not seen it all. Thank you for your hard work."

"It was my duty to do so." Again that smug thrill tickled at her fingers as he led her to a table set with porridge and dried fruits. Though his words and expression would tell her one thing his emotions seem to tell a different tale. "Please help yourself to breaking your fast and I will give you a tour of your new home afterwards."

Much to Nyota's relief Spock released her fingers and ate beside her in silence. Every now and then as she would rest her hand between bites, he would stroke his fingers across hers as if he were reaching for the same piece of food though he never took it and would always offer the morsel to her instead. She tried surreptitiously to study him from her meal but was always met by his outright, blatant stare as he watched her from across the table.

Huffing with her brows drawing together Nyota rubbed her mouth. "Do I have something on my face?"

He slowly shook his head and speared a piece of pepper bread onto his fork. "Not at all. You look impeccable."

Nyota pursed her lips at the high compliment and continued eating while Spock continued to make a meal of her with his eyes. When she was content in her belly and could no longer put up with his hawkish stare, Nyota pushed away her plate and rose to clear the table. Spock held her hand as she grabbed his plate and protested. "I will put it away."

The warmth of his hand stayed with her long after it had departed along with the warm feeling of affection as his fingers brushed across the top of her hand. Nyota rubbed at her arm and looked for a way to escape his oppressive infatuation.

She had just woken up from the most terrifying night of her life to have the featured creature right there before her. And this emotions! It felt like his feelings were crawling underneath her skin and infecting her, multiplying exponentially with each graze of his hand.

His happiness made her feel like laughing, his pride made her own chest swell and the undercurrent of lust...she did not want to dwell on how it made her feel.

She followed him to the large clay tub that had a sliver of soap and a bin of fresh water nearby. As Nyota handed him her dish, she made a quick scan of the room. "Where should I go to relieve myself?"

Spock bent down and went to work with the dishes with slight nod of his head. "Follow the hallway to the left and it's the first room on your right."

"It is inside the house?"

He nodded and scratched at a stubborn piece of sticky grain with his nail. "Yes. It is more convenient. You will see, it is our way."

Nyota felt her jaw tick at the mention of their way again and took her leave in search of the toilet and solitude. What she found when she arrived was a wonder of aqueducts and carved stone. Shelves, a countertop and fairly large tub lay before her hewed from the cliff they were butted against. Approaching the far wall, the hole in the floor that served as the toilet had less craftsmanship to it but it was straightforward enough which she appreciated. Once she finished, she noticed a small level that when she pushed it down sent a sluice of water to flush away any residual urine in the gap beneath her. Nyota huffed as she watched the water rush and subside leaving only a trickle of water to run down the void. While she hadn't have any problems with the mechanics of the curious toilet, it annoyed Nyota to admit the fact she did like this system in place of a chamber pot or outhouse.

She stood up and took a deep breath as she looked for a wash basin. To her delight the narrow countertop housed one in its interior much in the same fashion as the floor held the toilet. A slow steady stream of water ran down the rocky sloped sides from a series of holes carved at the top as a small sliver of fatty soap was housed near the lip of the bottomed out bowl.

Drying her hands on the side of her clothes, Nyota slumped down onto the dark woven rug lining the floor and hugged her knees to her chest. Her breath sped up and she dropped her head between her legs and released a long, body shuddering sob.

It was too much. She missed her mama and her sisters and the way her baba left her…

She felt her eyes welling up but she fought the water away. Warriors did not cry, that was their nation's way but were those traditions still an actual part of her life? Did she have a right to them anymore as she was immersed in the lifestyle of Mgeni husband? What was their way dictate when you had to leave your way?

A pit formed in her stomach as she swallowed against the burning lump in her throat. She didn't know how long she could sit under the illusion of privacy from the heavy antelope pelts hanging in the bathroom doorway. He would come for her soon and she would have to go with him and do as he bid her and she would have to because it 'was our way' of doing things. She would also have to help him break his fever which was a prospect she wasn't verily looking forward to.

True, he was quite comely in his own odd way but even standing near him made Nyota feel smothered and frightened.

She angrily wiped at a fat tear rolling down her cheek with the heel of her palm and spat out a ragged breath. Even in his suffocating presence she felt alone. There was no family to talk to, no friends to lean on and no elders to advise her. She didn't know what to do and the longer she stayed in his presence the more she felt that the shamans and elders of her tribe couldn't be of any help anyways.

Her father's people, the Massai, said that the strangers were from the stars and while they had the illusion of humanly bodies, their nature was unlike our own. How was Nyota supposed to understand someone not even of the same world? Maybe the Mgeni were beyond their comprehension?

"Nyota?"

She jumped at the sound of his voice and quickly wiped at her face to clear it of tears. Her kohl would be ruined but it probably was anyway from crying last night. The black tear streaks probably made her resemble a cheetah if she were to look at her reflection but that was the least of her concerns. "Yes, Spock?"

"Are you well? Did the porridge upset your stomach? Or is it your menstrual cycle that has kept you?"

Nyota felt her face go hot at his boldness. Men did not discuss such a taboo matter with their wives unless to drive them away from her bed. She sighed in sympathetic embarrassment and answered him just as frankly. "No, my moon's blood was just a few days ago. I merely wanted to refresh myself."

There was silence on the other side of the animal skin curtain and she thought he had left until it parted and he entered. Once again her skin tingled and her body silently pulled at her to come closer.

If he felt any similar compulsion he did not fight it as he drew near and crouched beside her. His clean, woody scent came over as he sat and Nyota found herself absently breathing it in. She pouted with a loud exhale as she cursed low under her breath. Why did he have to smell so good?

"You appear to be upset. Is there anything I can do to help acclimate you to your new station? You may find that doing so may relieve some of the tension you are experiencing."

Nyota turned away and bit her lip. Doing so took effort as she wanted to take any small comfort that was offered. That and her body seemed to relish his touch while her mind recoiled at the thought. Even now she was watching him coquettishly from beneath her lashes. "What do you suggest?"

He gazed down at her hands as they shook against the material of her dress. Looking up to her eyes he blinked at her as he came to some sort of decision. "Do you enjoy music?"

She nodded meekly and shrieked as he lifted her up and carried her out of the bathroom and down the hall. She was not such a petite woman but next to his 6' 3'' she felt utterly diminutive. His musk enveloped her once more and she found herself once again relaxing into the warmth and smell of his body.

He gingerly carried her into the bedroom and deposited her gently on the edge of a large wooly pallet. As she shifted, Nyota realized the bed was raised off from the floor as her feet swung over the side without touching the ground. The mattress was warm to the touch and soothed the ache in her legs from walking so much the day before. She curled her fingers into the wool pelt lining the bed when she felt his eyes on her face. Gazing up from the coverlet Nyota saw him quietly regarding her on the bed. When he met her eye, Spock gave her a look that she couldn't decipher before leaving out and returning with large stringed instrument.

Nyota huddled there on the edge as he took a seat across from her on the other side of the bed and began tuning the lyre. It favored a nyatiti but had the body and neck of a crane rather than the basket shape she knew from traditional instruments. The wood was polished to a high sheen and reflected back her curious face as she looked it over.

"What is your Nyatiti called?"

"A K'athyra," he replied inspecting its strings.

She let her gaze linger on his hand as he held the harp's neck. Absently she rubbed her own as she remembered how he cradled hers when he bit her. She held her bottom lip between her teeth as she traced the wounds he left behind, drawing her hand away as the sweat on her fingers stung the still raw skin.

His right hand dropped from the tune pegs and settled on the strings with an obvious finger formation for notation. Nyota held her breath as she waited anxiously to hear this strange harp's voice.

The first few notes were discordant and Nyota scrunched her face in disappointment. A thin, tinny twang screeched through the air as he pulled at the first three strings. "Oh…!" she blurted before she could stop her lips from moving. She gasped and clapped her hands over her mouth in horror at her faux pas. "I mean...umm...excuse me…"

Spock gave ghost of a smile as he continued into on. The notes soon morphed into something more harmonious and Nyota stilled against the bed.

Spock tapped at the harp's base while curling his long fingers over of the strings.

Nyota listened raptly as he trilled and tripped into a rolling crescendo that tingled her scalp with its emotiveness. In spite of the weird, minor key Nyota soon found herself reclining and following every tonal note. The music continued though her vision faded as sleep overtook her weary frame once more.


	5. Chapter 5

( The morning following after her retrieval: Spock's POV)

 _Tired, little bird_ , Spock thought gloomily as he brushed the braids away from Nyota's face. _Tired, frightened little bird_.

This was not the Nyota he had chosen. What remained of her after his intentions to wed was an anxious and irritated bride. Being stripped of her security and community, his bondmate was just a shell of herself, as if her ka'tra had left her. The tentativeness he felt from her through the bond made him hypervigilant in response. All throughout the morning Spock worked hard to give her the space and time she was seeking but as a mated Vulcan he could not help himself in wanting to soothe her with a reassuring nudge of affection.

Her feelings during the _tel'oteza_ had been mixed at best and he could feel the building tension of experiencing them all so sharply starting to wear on her. When she asked for the bathroom he figured she wanted a little time alone but when 30 minutes passed, he went looking for her.

That's when he heard her sobbing. It appeared that all of her emotion had come to a head and she could not grieve her spirit in front of him. After few moments more and inquiries through the curtain, he came in unannounced and kneeled beside her. Trying to put on an air of serenity he asked her what she required to relax. In truth, his own nervousness had him blushing so fiercely he could feel the heat of it on the tips of his ears.

As he came closer, he noted her taking in his scent. A small part of him puffed and strutted within him as she leaned closer even as she turned her face away. Not for the first time did Spock suspect that his symptoms of Pon Farr were leaking over to Nyota in her dismal state.

He could sense her lust, smell the low level heat of arousal but all of that was a mere undercurrent compared to the warring mass of bitter resentment simmering inside her. Casual touches and the _tel'oteza_ had not helped to calm her so he offered what little he could by way of comfort.

Sweeping her up into his arms, he had cradled her snuggly against his chest and carried her to their bedroom. Again there as he touched her skin was the sharp, stabbing fear and the curious feeling of excitement as Spock placed her on the bed. There, she made a coy assessment of their bed almost as if she were waiting on him to join her. He skimmed his eyes across the mark at her neck and down to her modest bust before returning to meet her eyes. When he encountered that wary look of caution he left, schooling his desire down as much as he was able before returning with his ka'athyra in his arms.

Without any prompting, he played the first song that came to mind, allowing himself a small smile as he felt the miasma of her despair waver and then vanish as he strummed the ballad of Folar's journey.

When he was younger and logic did not soothe his spirit as it did now, Spock found his respite in music. He took on its emotions in place of his own and for a while became someone else with their problems to solve. In this particular folktale, Folar had been a very well off merchant that still quested after the one thing that eluded him – enlightenment. So he went off in search of it in a dangerous and terrifying journey. He encountered love and pain, wrestled with sorrow and fear but logic and meaning still surpassed his mind. At the end of the 348 verses, however, he came to realize his enlightenment was not out in the world but inside him all along.

When he thought of Nyota that saga came to mind as her feelings mirrored Folar's in the middle of his conflict. As much as the visible world laid enemies before her, in this case ironically himself, her true foe appeared to be indecisiveness.

It was a tale Spock could sympathize with. He had felt it too during the night that he marked Nyota as he thought himself in circles over whether he was making the right choice. Later as he peered into her window, he felt his mind smooth out a solution for him.

When it came to love and attachments there was no right or wrong. In this situation he merely chosen his bride as was their way. His true concern came from not wanting to ruin either of their lives by doing something rash.

Right or wrong was too simplicity of an outlook and did not encompass all the variables therein. As her mate, Spock would and had been doing everything he could to provide and care for her and she in turn seemed to be trying to reciprocate as well. Logically he would not ruin her life unless she held that opinion of him nor could he see her ruining his life unless he felt he wasn't doing everything in his power to make his mate satisfied.

As he reached the 49th stanza, he peered down and caught sight of Nyota dozing peacefully at his side. She had come as close as she could without actually touching him, a fierce little scowl marring her face as she breathed against his robes.

Spock took her back into his arms and pulled them fully onto the mattress. Her pouty face was still frowning up at him as she continued to sleep beside him. He watched as she snuggled closer, bringing her lips tantalizingly close to his own. Her bottom lip sat full and pink as his eyes studied her mouth.

He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to kiss her until she was kissing him back in equal measure. He wanted to kiss her and shift her legs apart as he hovered up above her. And then he wanted to...

Spock shook himself and swallowed around the tightness constricting his throat. Turning her body around to face away from him he huddled up behind her and tried to forget the ever increasing urges about their future intimacy together. Not yet, not until she would have him. She was scared and mistrusting but he would show her his merit if only she gave him the chance to do so.

Though it took longer than he would have liked, eventually her soft, rhythmic breathing lulled him to sleep and he found his rest to be sound until he woke.

Spock made to adjust his leg when a sharp, stabbing pain struck him in the groin.

"SSHhhhsss," he hissed as his lok bobbed wetly against his pants.

Groaning, Spock looked around to find the room dark and devoid of its earlier sunlight. From the position of the stars outside the high window it was three past midnight. Still hissing, he sat up and looked down at his trousers. His lok stood up stiff and leaking, painfully engorged as it sought out its counterpart just beyond its reach. Veiled in a similar cloth confinement in Nyota's skirt, Spock could smell her body reacting as well to his presence, albeit with a significantly milder response.

Spock sighed as he rose up out of the bed and went to the bathroom to alleviate the discomfort. It seemed that being so close to Nyota coupled with her delectable scent had driven his already hyperactive libido up when he spooned with her.

 _It is getting worse_ , he thought as he pumped his fist over his painfully stiff member. Nightly emissions were the norm now but since Nyota's short stay, Spock had serviced himself thrice. No doubt now that Pon Farr was rapidly approaching but maybe a bit of distance could give him the time he needed to take her heart in hand before manual relief no longer worked and he was left with his madness.

Lowering his face, he caught a whiff of his mate along his collar and felt his lok jerk at the spicy scent. With the memory of her shapely backside pressed up against him, Spock went rigid as the vivid image of sinking into her heat abruptly invaded his mind and overwhelmed him. A strangled snarl was torn from his lips as the first hot torrent left his body, an audible splatter across the floor. His legs trembled as he fought to remain standing against the siege that rocked his body, panting with effort to clear his vision of the bright sparks in their field. He flushed with embarrassment at his condition as he stood there panting. Had he woken Nyota with all the noise he had made? A quick look down the hallway showed him thankfully that the coast was clear.

 _This is unseemly_ , he thought in frustration. He cleaned his person and tended to the rapidly cooling semen from the floor. Along with his lust, Spock found himself more irritable and careless. Things he wouldn't have normally have taken issue with now irked him to no end. His peers being lax in their watch over the cattle had him nearly coming to blows and then there was that human male that still eyed Nyota as his own.

In his meld with Nyota, he had seen him in her memories, hovering right at the edge of her vision ever in the periphery as if he meant to make off with her. It wasn't just his Pon Farr, he had seen the way he spoke with her, her feelings as to his words and the mutual pining that it seemed each of them shared.

It was not meant to be; Nyota was his and his fever rode him to put an end to the passive rivalry if only to soothe his instinctual need to protect her and his claim of their union at all costs. The logic in why he should overlook the minor transgression won out but he did not know what he would be liable of when he was stripped of his reason.

Would he be overcome by his adoration of Nyota and dishonor her need to wait? Would memories of this...Asa drive him to leave their home and hunt him down?

Spock gave his head a quick shake and went to the sink to wash his hands.

He wouldn't be that horrible monster that his father was so sure he would be. He would have her love in time for her body and would leave the other male be.

He just had to be careful.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day did not go as politely as the first.

It started with a meal that Nyota had thought to prepare. She wanted to learn her way around the new kitchen and saw making breakfast as a prime way to start. It would also be a good distraction from their incident this morning.

It had been innocent enough, her rolling over and snuggling into his warm frame, but the actions that followed could not be so easily dismissed.

Still in the twilight between sleep and consciousness, Nyota had shifted and felt the warm body beside her. After years of having a bedmate, she automatically sought out the heat and curled herself around him. Him? It was a male and not her sister...curious. It was plain to tell as the wide expanse of his torso easily accommodated her own as she pushed closer.

His hands came up and touched her, infusing her with a burning that ate at her middle. A dull ache of longing filled her pre-waking thoughts along with a sense of urgency. Nyota moved over further, throwing her leg over his waist as she crept her hand beneath his robe. The skin there was warm - not like her own, as if he had a fever.

A hand lighted onto her hip and pulled her closer while the one resting along her back crushed her closer against his torso. The scent of fatty soap, roobios and acacia leaves filled her nose as she snuggled tighter. In an effort to draw closer to the smell, she rubbed her nose against the skin of his neck, gathering it into her nostrils as she felt his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed.

Feeling so warm and wanted, she called his name. "Asa…"

She was immediately struck with a sense of shock and pain...no, of being wounded...she was wounded...no, that wasn't right. Why was she hurt?

Her eyes fluttered open and caught sight of her mgeni husband staring down at her face. Spock...Spock!

"Oh…" she nearly shouted as she unwound herself from his embrace. As his arms left her skin, she was alone again in her emotions and the lancing pain in her chest subsided. "I am sorry...I thought…"

"There is no need to apologize," he said briskly, moving away from her so quickly, it felt like he stole the heat from the room. She watched him stand and leave the bedroom, his cool demeanor masking the feelings she knew he harbored.

It was then that she decided to make amends for her...well she didn't know if she should ask forgiveness for a sleep riddled comment, but the pain she felt from him had been cutting and very much real. She hadn't meant to hurt him and while he said no apology was needed for his wounded heart, Nyota would ask for pardon.

As his wife, he should be the only one in her heart, she chided herself. There was no need to add insult to injury on her part. He was already holding back from consummating their marriage as a nod to his goodwill and now she went and called him another man's name as she laid in their bed in his arms. Her cheeks flushed hotly as she replayed the moment in her head and groaned into her palms.

This was not going well. Somehow in her mind's eye, she pictured marriage being easier than her life alone in Namanga, but she guessed she hadn't figured emotions into the equation. His wants, her fears and everything in between felt like they were in juxtaposition with the way things should have been.

She should be flattered, she thought, to have a husband that treated her not only fairly but as an equal, but the truth of the matter was she was still terrified of having a husband at all. There were times that it seemed he felt nothing and others where he seemed possessed by his emotions. Would consummation really heal his ailing and put their relationship on the right track or did he require something more?

An urge to pee pushed at her and Nyota finally rose up from the bed. She did not look forward to facing him but as a Bantu Maa bride, Nyota would not be seen as a cowering, simpering woman. She would tend to her duties and if that included intercourse at this point...well so be it.

Even as she thought it, Nyota shied from the idea. She had seen it done before. One merely had to look out to the Mara to see nature fast at work trying to keep its animal population balanced. Then there were the shameful uncles and aunties of the village that would let their liquor get the best of them and do their bedroom activities outside in not so hidden groves.

When Nyota came upon these scenes, she had felt a number of things – curiosity, mild disgust, amusement and in her older years, an embarrassing sense of arousal. To commence in such an act that she had been raised to see as taboo for most of her life was one thing but to do it with a being from the stars was wholly another.

"Gah, not this morning, not this morning," she grumbled to herself as she walked to the bathroom and did her business. The novelty of it was still new enough that she was distracted from his worries. Her stomach signaled her next need and she went off towards the kitchen to fix them both breakfast.

When she came out of the hall, she found Spock sitting in the living room going over rolls of paper. Though not unheard of, having paper around in one's house was a rarity. Most transactions were made by bartering and information was passed orally by storyteller, shaman or canter. She absently wondered if Spock was titled with any of those stations among his people but thought it best not to disturb him now. A man was best engaged after a full night's rest and the end of his meal.

Nyota padded over towards the kitchen space and studied her surroundings. It had a great deal more storage than any of those that she was familiar with in her old nation, with only the bare necessities to deck the shelves. Perhaps he was waiting on her to continue accruing needed items as well as decorative ones once she moved in. Where she would get such things was beyond her because she had yet to hear or see another mgeni since she arrived, let alone a market place.

It was no matter, Nyota thought as she fished out a few bowls and a few utensils. She had been trained in many arts during her years in waiting and while she was a master of none, she was proficient in all. If Spock helped her fashion a kiln, she could at least make some more serving dishes and bowls.

As she went and gathered her ingredients from the pantry and the odd box of shelves that kept cool on the inside, she felt the air behind her stir. She rose and was unsurprised to find Spock standing there watching her raptly with his typical blank-faced stare.

"I am making us breakfast."

He blinked slowly and gave a small nod of his head. "Very well."

Nyota turned back to her task of fetching all her needed items as she chewed on her lip thoughtfully. He was back to being illegible. She couldn't tell if he was still livid with her or if he very well meant exactly what he said. But one thing was clear to her much sooner than later as Spock remained in the kitchen. The male loved to get in her business.

Spock was on her like an oppressive shadow, hovering above her as she worked her way around the kitchen.

Every now and then, he would ask if she was looking for something in particular as he looked over her items. He then filled the space in between his inquiries with hems and haws and disapproving grunts at her actions. His nosey observations punctuated the growing tension inside her and with each sound, Nyota found her mouth growing more and more drawn. If she were to see her lips now she was sure they resembled a shriveled date.

No longer able to ignore his passive aggressive nit picking, Nyota wheeled around and thrust the bowls resting in her arms into his chest. "Do you want to cook?"

He looked genuinely surprised at the question and the bowls at his sternum. "Are _you_ not preparing to cook?"

She huffed and pushed the bowls again to let out some of her annoyance. "I thought I was but here _you_ are clucking over me like a mother hen who's tending her first brood! If you want to cook, _husband_ , you need _only_ ask instead of sassing me like an auntie!"

Though he didn't show it, Nyota could tell Spock was moving from mere confusion into an annoyance of his own. "I am neither a fowl nor a female relative. Please refrain from using jargon and speak plainly."

She took the bowls away from his chest and put them on top of the cabinet they were originally stored and turned around with as much authority as she could muster. Lifting her chin, she glared up at his dark eyes. "Speaking plainly, _Spock_ , I want you to go! Get me a cooking blanket and leave!"

Nyota wasn't entirely sure where Spock's limits were for dealing with her mouth but it would be good to get that out of the way now while she was still wary of him. There were some husbands, she noted, that would drink too much and get angry with everyone - especially their wives. There were other men that her Aunties would call weak-minded strong women because they were gravely insecure and wouldn't think twice about taking a hand or a switch to their spouses.

Nyota had nothing to lose here between her and this being so she pushed her perceived limits and stood her ground. Better to know, she thought, whether she should run to a neighboring village or go as far as her legs would take her. Wild beasts and bands of thieves be damned; she wouldn't be staying here if he thought for a second that he could beat her into submission. There was no honor for a man who did not earn it.

Spock blinked slowly as he thought, his brows unknitting back into their smooth flared arches once the words came to him. In her anger she had slipped from Vuhlkansu to Kiswahili and he had trouble following her intent. Once he had however, he gave her a leveled stare.

"I do not possess a 'cooking blanket' such as you had in your village. You will cook and prepare our meals here," he said placing a hand on the countertop where she placed the bowls.

Nyota furrowed her brows and motioned towards the floor. "What's wrong with preparing here? Nothing would roll off the table and I would have more space to work."

Spock scoffed softly as if he were reasoning with a child. "The floor, no matter how rigorously cleaned, is an unsanitary workspace. We have no choice in where we walk but we do have a choice when it comes to where we prepare our food."

Nyota closed her eyes and balled her fist in mounting frustration. She took a deep breath and exhaled it forcefully. " _Fine_ , husband. Here is _just_ fine. Now LEAVE!"

With a slight lift brow and withdrawing his hands into the sleeves of his robe, Spock departed the kitchen. Unfortunately it was only to the other side of the room under the guise of reading the paper he had earlier. The bound bark strips had been fashioned into a book and he was using the quill of a porcupine to stain its surface with ink.

As Nyota chopped, measured and mixed her ingredients, Spock made an emphasis on his activity by loudly turning the dry, raspy pages.

At this point Nyota ignored him outright and set about preparing her workstation to make a filling comfort dish of ugali (known as fufu in West Africa) and a soup that it would accompany. She had thought of making chapatis or samosas but only having corn flour at hand and not wanting to draw Spock back into the kitchen to find the wheat flour, she went forward with making the doughy starch.

She lit the strange rock flame like she had seen Spock do before and got the heat to her liking and set her small, silvery pot over it with a few cups of water. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Spock observing her from over the top of his book. No doubt silently judging her every move in the kitchen, she thought as his eyes tracked her busy hands.

Once her water was boiling, Nyota slowly added the maize flour and worked the sweet meal into a sticky paste with a wooden spoon. She did this for a while, adding and kneading, working the mixture into a thick dough into it could no longer absorb any more of the flour.

Spock had completely disregarded his book and was intently watching her cooking. His nose flared briefly as she salted the dough with a wave of her hand. After a few minutes her ugali was set and she placed the soft, cakey dough onto a plate to be shared between them. In a separate pot where she had placed chopped greens and peppers, Nyota set that onto the alien fire and focused her attention on the thick squash soup she wanted to make.

As much as she could tell, it was true that Spock would not partake of animal flesh. The thought of no longer having anymore roasted goat or a beef stew saddened her but it would make her chore of cooking for the both of them easier.

Sometime in between her simmering the peppery greens and setting her savory squash and groundnut soup onto second fire, Spock had come closer to her cooking station.

He said nothing as his eyes went from pot to pot with obvious interest in what was inside. It was then that it dawned on her that this would probably be Spock's first meal that was purely Kenyan.

Though the mgeni had to make do with the same food sources that the neighboring nations had, they had probably only observed which things were most likely safe to eat and not necessarily how they were prepared let alone what were pleasant food combinations.

"What is the name of this dish?" he asked pointing to the fluffy cooked dough.

"Ugali."

Spock nodded, leaning closer with his brows moving up towards his bangs. "Is it ready to eat?"

"Well yes, but I usually put the greens around the base and you eat it by dipping it into the soup."

At the mention of dipping Spock's eyes narrowed at the dish. "Clarify dip into the soup."

Nyota couldn't help rolling her eyes as she stirred her soup pot. "I mean, you pull off a piece and you put that dough into the soup. I know my Mgeni is not that poor."

"Vulcan, not Mgeni. I am Vulcan and I speak the same."

"A demon by any other name is still a demon…" she mumbled to herself in Maa.

"What was that?" he asked suspiciously.

"Nothing. I was just thinking of what to tell you in your language," she said with a guileless smile. He watched her a beat or two longer before going back to the ugali.

"Do you mean I should employ the use my bare hand?"

"Yes, you -"

"I do not eat with my bare hands," he huffed. Nyota would have thought he had actually been insulted by the thought but his face had hardly moved beyond his mouth opening and closing as he spoke.

She balked at his answer and threw up her hands in confusion. "What? Are you trying to be difficult? How are you going to eat it?"

"With utensils."

Nyota huffed from her nose and pursed her lips. Stirring the soup with more force than necessary, she spoke with him as calmly as she could. "Fine. I don't even know why you mentioned how you would eat it if you had already solved that problem."

"I mentioned it because Vulcans do not eat with their hands and that is something you should know. I have observed that some dishes are eaten with spoons or carved away by knives, but others are eaten by hand. When you served our meal, I did not want to offend you with my use of utensils."

"Too late…" she grumbled, reaching for a slotted spoon and doled out the greens around the base of the ugali. "Go ahead _husband_ and eat."

"I will wait until everything is finished."

Nyota shot him a curt glance out of the side of her eye. "I thought you wanted to eat now?"

"I do," he nodded.

"Then why not eat now?"

"Because you intended for me to eat the meal with all the dishes together."

An annoyed groan issued from Nyota's lips as she glared at the male across the kitchen counter. "You're already going to eat the ugali with a fork and knife so why does it matter when you eat the rest of it?!"

Spock's jaw slid to the side as he eyed Nyota's pinched face staring back at him. "It is taboo for me to eat in such a fashion. Here I thought you would be sensitive to my cultural differences."

"What about my cultural differences!? What about my way of doing things that you see as wrong? Am I so offensive to you…?"

She, so angry that she was crying as she yelled, lashed out at him as her tears threatened to spill inside the bubbling soup. Nyota gripped the countertop and closed her eyes against the scene before her. This was not getting easier. If anything it was getting harder the more she learned about him. Nothing was insurmountable but felt abrasive to her upbringing. If he chose to eat with a fork and knife, it would not break their marriage but it was not drawing her closer to him. Would everything she learned have to be disregarded for his way?

Nyota shuddered as she felt his large hand close around her bicep and move her back against him. She opened her eyes to see him removing the soup from the fire stone and calming the rolling boil moving through the thick bisque. As it smoothed to a simmer, Spock turned Nyota gently by her arm and closed his free hand over hers. He inhaled sharply as he touched her but his face remained passive as he took her in.

"Kaiidth. We will find our own way. We need only to be gentle to one another."

His fingers curled against hers and Nyota felt a surge of reassurance wash over her from the touch. His olive branch. He wasn't looking to fight or offend, just to be with her.

Nyota sighed and held his fingers back. A bit of the tension in her body left leaving her achy and tired once more. There was still so much to learn about her new husband and home and she would not get to that knowledge if she was not humble. Wisdom was for the humble while bravado was for the fool.

She could mimic his moves about the house with all the odd tools he had implemented around the house but she would need his help to understand them. She would also need to soothe her own pain to learn about him.

"My ways are not backwards," she said quietly. She was firm in this statement but wanted him to know that it was not made in anger.

"Nor are mine superior," he countered.

She bit at her lip, pressing it gently between her teeth as she settled her nerves over her next statement. "About this morning in the bed...I am sorry. I hurt you and I did not and...do not intend to."

At her words Spock straightened up a bit. It clearly hadn't been whatever he had expected her to say or talk about and it moved him in a way that she could not see but feel as he held her hand.

As she glanced up at him, Nyota noted the way that he leaned in closer. Her lips parted anxiously as she anticipated him kissing her. Slowly he closed in and lingered there above her face. His focus went hazy the longer he lingered there and for a moment she was unsure of his intentions. Then with a small, quiet breath, Spock blinked and cleared his gaze. "The soup appears ready to be consumed."

Nyota harshly exhaled the breath she had been holding and nodded. "Yes, it should be."

"We shall both feel better after dining," he said withdrawing his hands from her and taking up the plate of ugali. Nyota followed his lead as she picked up her soup pot and trailed Spock to the table where they had their breakfast yesterday. Yesterday...she hadn't eaten since yesterday! No wonder she was so emotional. If she was going to be at her best, she had to make sure to put her health first. Using a large folded washcloth from the kitchen as a trivet, Nyota and Spock quietly set upon their meal like ravenous dogs.

After the first few bites, Spock paused between bites. "This meal was well prepared. Thank you."

Nyota felt her lips break into a large smile at his compliment and nodded while covering her mouth with her hand. As small and inane as the comment was, it gave Nyota something she hadn't had for a very long well.

A new friend.


	7. Chapter 7: The herdsmen

A/N: Thank you for all your kind words, comments and critiques, all of which help to spur me on and finish up the story. This is Spock's POV of the day and the next chapter will be Nyota's. I think the seperate POVs help but if their annoying well idk that's just the way this one seemed to be best expressed. Thank you Dimplz for all your time editing the previous chapters and to all the rest of my _morans_ (warriors) who are reading this. Kipawa.

THE HERDSMEN: Spock's POV

He was thrilled when she agreed.

Spock would have been reluctant to leave her home by herself for so many hours. Not so much for fear of her running away or being harmed in his absence but primarily because he would miss her.

Yesterday after their breakfast, they had a riveting conversation over their home appliances that carried on late into the night. She had been falling asleep while still prodding him for answers over the mystery which was Dilithum crystal when he bid her to give in to sleep. He could feel her want to protest as he caressed her cheek. She was excited over the subject matter and enjoying his intellectual company as much as he was hers.

"We will have more time to discuss this matter later. Goodnight, _pi'lara_ (little bird)," he said as a means to mollify her.

"What's a _pi'lara_?"

"Something just as beautiful as you. Sleep," he said softly. And no sooner had he assured her that they would continue their quest for knowledge did Nyota drift off soundly. Unable to keep himself from her Spock gathered her into his arms and buried his face into the reddish brown cords of her braids.

Nyota snuggled into his embrace, smacking her lips as she adjusted in his arms until she was comfortable with monotone hum. Seeing no reason to stay up, Spock tangled his fingers with hers and settled down to rest.

Inharmonious beginning aside, their relationship was finally taking on the shape that he had imagined for them. Though she was still frightful about starting their sexual relations, Spock was sufficiently satisfied with the progress that they were making at getting to know each other.

With pon farr not taking focus away from getting to learn more about the other, Spock found Nyota's despondency fading and her receptiveness to his overtures for _ashau_ (Vulcan love - deep, dark, ineffable need for a person/ a passion beyond love and a love beyond passion/ halves made whole, never to be parted) growing.

When he had tried to explain to her the difference upon waking this morning, it only confused her further. How could you feel passion that went beyond love? How was it that he was so devoted to her, desiring so much to fulfill her wants and see to her needs? Why didn't he want a Vulcan bride if he had been presented with the chance to do so instead of a human?

And most pressing was why did Spock want her?

"It is something that is best not left to verbal description."

"Then how are you going to tell me?"

He extended his hand and came closer to where she was lying in bed beneath the sheepskin pelt. "I intend to show you...if you will permit my doing so."

She studied his hand as she pulled at the orange scarf wrapped protectively around her hair. "I suppose so...what will you do?"

Spock lowered his hand briefly and locked eyes with her. "I will touch your temple and exchange the memories I have of you that made gave rise to _T'ashaya_ and the feelings that accompany them."

"And I'll understand Vulcan love?"

"Definitively understanding the reasons as to why it is, I cannot say but you will part with an understanding of what it is."

After a while Nyota pulled the scarf free of her ochre stained braids and took ahold of his hand. Gently leading his fingers to her face, she gave him a slow nod. "Okay, I want to see. Show me."

The tug of his mind was immediate, images and scenes slowly compiled up and out like a tapped spring. A scene of her chasing Goma through a throng of cows with a jovial laugh flashed before her followed by her fastidious regard over her handiwork as she put beads to the wire and fashioned her jewelry and another of her face half red as she supped on the blood milk of her father's cup.

A few visions were more vibrant than others, such as the ones of her singing and dancing, the ones where she went out for her monthly cleanse after her moon's blood bare of all but her beads and the ones where she was fast asleep and looking as peaceful as a newborn.

Spock had cultivated and treasured these moments and with each one gained he found the need to protect, love and share his life with her multiply. She was not just a girl but a dream made manifest. Her voice moved him like music; her boldness gave him admiration and her beauty was beyond his logic to conceive. He wanted to call her things like cute and adorable but logically that was too romantic of a notion but she moved him in that way that he did so. She engulfed him with her wit and beauty and anyone else other than Nyota would have been settling for him. He wanted – he needed – he burned for her.

The images stopped and Nyota took a gasping breath for air as she was hurled back to the present. "What was… was that it?" she asked bewildered.

"That was merely part."

Nyota's eyebrows rose in shock and she played with the pelt until he stirred her from her thoughts.

"I am going to check to the cattle today. Would you care to accompany me?"

Nyota sprung on his offer with a zeal he did not think possible but then again she had not left their home since he had obtained her. Being back out and with a task to busy her mind and hands, Nyota was probably grateful for the distraction.

She went around to adorn herself and put on her kohl with a light tune on her lips. It pleased Spock to give her such an opportunity to relax and be herself. He wished he had thought to do so earlier but as it was, all the time spent indoors had been well spent.

A merry tintinnabulation stirred him from his thoughts and he looked over to Nyota's blue belled necklace. She had been making it since her arrival and now wore the long chain with a bounce in her steps. He was now curious as to what they meant.

Nyota walked evenly beside Spock, taking him in when she thought he wasn't looking. He was however doing just that.

Even as he surveyed the surrounding grassland while trekking through the open Mara, he could not keep his eyes from her.

Berobed in her traditional garb of ornately patterned scarves, a simple dress and a black sash that cinched her waist, Nyota looked like a dainty, bronze goddess trailing along the path. She was breathtaking with her dark crescent eyes and plush pink mouth smiling contently as she watched the sea of grass around them.

With each step, her marriage necklaces and earrings made a tinkling chime in the air, announcing her presence with a music all their own. Spock straightened his cloak with a roll of his shoulders and watched Nyota from the corner of his eye.

A large bag, a long _ingri_ (a decorative gourd for carrying cow's milk and/or blood) and her waterskin were each slung over her back with a crisscrossing of amber beaded strings. Her footing was steady and sure, navigating around holes and over rocks with an ease that he envied.

As they walked she gathered bark, leaves and discarded animal bits like quills and feathers for cooking or jewelry making. More than once, Spock had been made to stop so Nyota could take her knife to a plant and fill her bag with fruit before moving on. She was relaxed but observant, keeping pace with him without complaint or aid of rest. Spock admired the ease with which she carried herself even while in the heat of the day.

Hers had been a different life than the other women of her village but it made her well prepared to keep up with their current semi-solitary lifestyle. Their first month of marriage was traditionally like that of a honeymoon minus spirits and adherence to the lunar month. It was a time to let his mate aid him relieving his _plak-tow_ (blood fever) and a few weeks respite as each of them recovered from its harsh demands.

As it had yet to claim him and their physical bond was put on hold, Spock saw no reason why they shouldn't work in lieu of it. They would simply reconvene once when he actually fell ill and take things from there.

He turned to find Nyota studying his face and favored her with a glancing touch of his fingers. Smoothing his fingers down her neck Spock traced the line of her tendon bare of necklaces and braids. Nyota smiled softly at him as his adoration brushed through her and he felt his heart become arrested with jealousy.

He should not take her. He knew she was very joyous about the outing and looking forward to greeting new faces but his kinsmen had been restless as of late. Her striking good looks coupled with the obvious lack of his scent would raise questions. Their mere presence would make the Vulcans question if Spock had even consummated their marriage.

The older males among his small group would no doubt mock him for having his bout of pon farr take so little recovery time but he was not likely to see any of them this far away from their farms and wives.

It was the younger kinsmen he was more worried about. The mob ranged from mid to late twenties and were largely the unmated or unbonded. Some had yet to receive one of the healer's blessing to bond while others had simply yet to settle on a female to do so.

Spock's showing up with her unmarked as his own would appear like something was wrong with her. With Nyota so clearly lacking in the scent of his semen and musk, the males present in the field might make an unnecessary (and highly unwelcomed) offers for her hand.

He knew the conclusion would probably be drawn since he had left their bed so early for overseeing the herd. Every Vulcan male looked forward to the bonding night, imagined the pleasure it would bring to have the soft bodied bride they had chosen warming their beds and cooling their fevers and there Spock would come as if their dreams were all fabled ruinations of the addled brained elders.

He glanced at Nyota again and saw the round swell of her backside bouncing temptingly against the fabric of her dress despite the cover of her shuka. Even her modest bust looked garishly plump beneath the bodice of her cloth gown. The wide black belt she wore was not helping matters either as it cinched her waist and gave her already feminine air more allure.

Spock could hardly blame them if them if they made a proposal. Seeing Nyota look so naturally winsome, Spock felt like making his proposal all over again. Given the chance or the perceived opportunity, one of his peers might turn into a rival if they felt the same.

He turned to say that they should head back when he noticed Nyota looking off in the distance. Her steady gait had slowed almost to a stop and her hands were balled at her sides.

Spock looked out and saw nothing but her expression reminded him of one his mother wore frequently when he was a child. They were crossing over the trail that led back towards her village and she appeared… _has-bosh'kelek_ (homesick).

Spock exhaled sharply with a huff and came to stand beside her. She had come to a complete stop now with her jewelry still ringing cheerfully as the wind stirred across it. Her lovely face was disturbed with the downturn of her mouth as she looked to the horizon with wet eyes.

A sudden ache stabbed his side and Spock rubbed at the pain along his ribs. Was Nyota really so unhappy with him, that the mere proximity to a path leading to her old village made her upset? His pride was wounded but he had never experienced so violently before. His concern over their welcome among the herdsmen and her melancholy display came in too quick of a succession for him to be able to stop himself as he bitterly questioned her.

"Do you wish to go back, Nyota?"

She looked startled by his question and not only from its suddenness, it seemed. "Why? Did you wish me to go back?"

"No. I wish for you to stay with me."

"Then why would you ask such a thing?" Her arms crossed against her chest and the thick bands and bangles along her arm glinted against the sun. She still appeared somewhat miserable but not entirely over her old nation. The sorrow on her face irked him more.

"You appear to be distressed. I assumed that your display of emotional anguish was caused by our passing your village. Is that true?"

She nodded but shrugged when he leveled her with an accusatory stare. "Yes, I miss my family. I also miss my way of life but I could never go back. You marked me and as a marked woman I am seen as an outsider that blesses the community by keeping the peace between our people. If I were to go back, I would be seen as someone who not only is shirking their duty but needlessly starting an act of war between Mg...Vulcans and humans. I am already failing as it is."

What she had to say was all quite interesting but the end of her sentence stuck out in particular. How exactly did she see herself failing her community? "Clarify."

Nyota swallowed and looked down at her feet as she walked. "As your wife, I have not... _performed_ all of the duties that you would have of me."

She said it so quietly that Spock could barely catch it but he realized as she cleared her throat she was speaking more to herself than to him. Nyota ran her hands along the ochre satchel he fitted her with and spoke loudly this time. "I am not with child. I have not...I'm still…"

Spock sighed with understanding and gave her a slight nod to signal it. "I see. Well...all in due time. I am not in a rush, mentally speaking. Biologically, however...I wish to give you all the time you need."

"Why?" she asked, almost angrily. He spared her a glance and caught the look of mistrust there. She did not think him altruistic in his reasoning or perhaps she was offended by his apparent lack of sexual interest in her. Well, so long as they were airing everything out into the open…

"Because…" he caught her shoulder and turned her small frame towards him. "I care about what you do and do not want. If I could, I would let you visit your family if it were not taboo, Nyota. I am...displeased in not being able to give you that option but in the matter of our intimacy however, I can give you a choice."

He took her hand and pressed it down along his side so she could feel the hammering thump of his heart along his lower ribs. "I desire you immeasurably."

At the touch of his hand, Nyota's face took on a look of shock as the tumultuous swell of his emotions took hold of her.

"Spock!" She gasped loudly and pulled at her hand. The jerky motion of it made her jewelry sing shrilly as she fought to regain of her limb. Her fear ran sourly across his tongue as he held her and he felt his emotional control waver.

She was scared of his love? Of him? Thoughts of rejection filled him as Nyota's terror ate at his stomach.

No, she shouldn't feel this way! Why did his affection scare her?

Spock released her mid-jerk and Nyota flailed backwards from the strength of her effort. A surprised noise left her lips as she sailed down with the force of gravity but Spock pitched forward with his hands outstretched. His reflexes worked in concert as he caught Nyota inches from the ground and pulled her slight frame towards his.

All her babbles fell silent as he held her body against his chest. Her dark eyes looked wet with tears as she gazed up at him warily. Her heart fluttered gently in comparison to his own but he could tell her human system had been shocked into flight by way she was panting.

Nyota spoke to him quickly between breaths, avoiding his stare as she struggled to regain her feet. "I wasn't, I'm sorry...your…I don't know what that was...I wasn't expecting it...let's go."

Spock let her got once her feet were under her and stared at her as he repositioned his _shuka_ (cape like scarf that covers the shoulders and body) to drape behind her in a dizzying pattern of cerulean and ruby. "What?"

He stood alongside her and tilted his head. "Where were you referencing when you said 'let's go'?"

Darting her eyes back and forth from his eyes and the ground she made a dismissive motion of her head. "Weren't we headed towards your herd and kinsmen?"

He nodded, now displeased at the prospect. "Yes."

"Well then, there is where we will go." She nodded, starting back off in the direction they had been heading.

Spock blinked at her in dismay and regained the lead as he moved towards the patch of plains they were currently using to graze their herds. "Very well."

Nyota sighed at his reply and yelled at him from over her shoulder. "What else would you have me do? Stay home and grow soft and lazy?"

"I could teach you more technological advances. We could perhaps construct something together?" he suggested, trying to tempt her back to the house.

She turned her full body towards him now and looked him up in down in suspicion. "Why are you trying to change my mind? Are you embarrassed to been seen with me?"

"Hardly," he answered with a sniff. She was too smart to be gotten over and he didn't want her jumping to the wrong conclusions. He, in fact, wanted to show her off but bringing her unclaimed three times over around the younger males that were unbonded and new to their logic led lifestyle outside of their parents' watchful eye was like bringing a springbok fawn in front of a pack of hyenas. "I am just not as enthused as you at the prospect of seeing my junior kinsmen…"

Nyota waved his concern away and hopped up and over a rock with her toe skipping across the top. "Ah so you just want to keep me to yourself...hahaha. How greedy of you Spock."

A series of irritations nettled him as she spoke and skipped across the trail. The way in which she disregarded his concern had him clenching his jaw and walking more slowly behind her. She was being foolish, walking into a situation with a people she knew nothing about. Maybe her time alone with him had given her a false sense of what all Vulcan males morally were like.

Not for the first time did he recall his father's frequently voiced complaint of the crew regressing from their enlightenment. Desperation to get back and the uncontrollable drive to survive this new planet had many of lower caste crewmen advocating for the old ways.

To say that the history of pre-enlightened times was illogical was a gross understatement. From the ship's computer logs, Spock learned that _V'tosh_ (Vulcans) had never driven themselves to extinction.

When left to its own devices, the Vulcan ego ruled without reason. Mercy and grace were fruits of weakness; compassion led to blood feuds. Females were oftentimes treated as nothing more than entertainment and breeders, with very little rights of their own.

True, there was a small movement of social evolution, with temples, ka'tra worship, an arts renaissance and a ruling class but their technology had far superseded their altruism as a people.

Their psionic nature was used to torture and subdue more than it was to understand while their physical capabilities made them warriors to be reckoned with. It was logged that they had once been visited by a species called the Klingon that sought to conquer the Vulcans and their planet for their empire. It had been a welcomed chance at bloodsport for the ancient ones as they turned their minds against one another and had them fight to the death. And of course there was the solution to the problem of the ongoing famine with deployed off-world soldiers being so succulent...

What little flora and fauna thrived on the planet had been reduced to critical endangerment as the hunger for flesh and conquest over their dominion spread beyond their species. If Surak's teachings from his time spent dwelling in the Sas-a-shar hadn't reached his people's ears, Vulcan would have been left a barren wasteland of green blood and bones.

The fact that the romantic notion of the old ways was sweeping through the youth like a rallying cry for Vulcan values made Spock increasingly wary of presenting Nyota in front of the potentially volatile group the closer they came to the encampment.

And then there was Nyota's accusation of his motives when he raised the question of doing something else.

Spock didn't need her telling him that he was covetous where she was involved, that he wanted to be locked away with her for days on end as he took every opportunity to know her as intimately as he knew himself. His appreciation of her person went beyond a crush or deep, budding affection. The more time he spent with Nyota the more Spock saw that he was becoming obsessed with her.

Engulfment had taken ahold of him.

Spock was caught between wanting to indulge her whims and his compulsion to keep her protected. If he wasn't careful, Spock could end up like the males that hovered above their mates like oppressive shadows. With a stubborn set of his jaw Spock grunted as his mind was made.

"If you wish to go and meet them we shall but we will not loiter," he said firmly.

She grinned at him and he felt his heart leap at her approval. He shouldn't need it so much...but…

"Thank you, Spock. We won't stay long, I promise."

But he did not reply as his stomach constricted at the first sight of their cattle. Havid came running up immediately to greet them, taken aback at Nyota's steely spine and sweet-natured brashness. Spock couldn't help but find amusement in the interaction as they shuffled about in a seemingly unending cultural conflict.

His pleasure was soon diminished as he saw a small contingent of herdsmen approaching. Why were there so many? With a herd this size it usually took no more than three or four males but four were approaching followed by another. Nyota was already talking to Havid with Rovoc soon to join as he came in from the fields around from where he left Ovid.

Spock huffed in annoyance as it seemed unfortunate that today of all days would find him with eight unbonded males coming to inspecting Nyota and asking after her.

"Greeting, _S'haile_."

"Salutations, T'kell. I trust the cattle have not been a problem?"

Salik shook his head and answered. "Not at all, _S'haile_."

"Then why are there so many of you about? This is far more than logically necessary."

T'kell quickly responded and leaned in with his answer. "Oh, we are not all here to mind the herd. Some of us came up from the settlement to hear Rovoc speak about adapting the ancient rules of old."

"On whose authority?" Spock jabbed, distraught by the news.

The four looked to each other for a sound answer that would free anyone from culpability before Zud spoke up. " _S'haile,_ may I have a word with you in private?"

"If you wish...Salik what is it that you are doing with your mouth?" Spock stopped mid-sentence, as his attention shifted focus.

"I am smiling, sir!" the youth chimed in obvious merriment. His teeth were on display but from what he had seen of his mother's and Nyota's examples of contentment, it did not meet the qualifications. Overall, it looked quite gruesome.

"No...you are not at all smiling. Get that expression off your face this instant. Zud, come. The rest of you take your leave of me."

"Yes, _S'haile,_ " they said in chorus, with each laboring into his task.

As he parted, Zud fell in step with Spock and waited for some distance between them and the others before he launched into a confession that begged Spock's aid.

" _S'haile_ Spock, we are overrun with passion. Everyday more of us are falling out of sync with our logic and taking up practices of ancient Vulcan."

Spock turned to him briefly looking over his shoulder as he eyed the three departing kinsmen and felt a sense of foreboding. He and Nyota should not have come together but he was glad to have learned of this. It appeared the older kinsmen had left their younger peers to their own devices for far too long.

Spock cut his eyes at the stockier Vulcan and put his hands behind his back. "Who spurred on the divergence? This was not a random instance of group thought or emergence. Someone must have persuaded the others towards such irrational behavior."

Zud looked over his cloaked shoulder and eyed the Vulcan second closest to Nyota and swallowed. "Rovoc has expressed a growing sense of dissatisfaction with the way we perform our rites and duties. Some that are still waiting on the blessing of a healer to grant them bonding privileges are of a similar mind to be swayed. The men grow hungry for companionship and are burdened with resentment."

"The healer's rites towards the bonding population are not superfluous. I and I am sure the others here would not think it irrelevant that the males go and are checked for any signs that they may injure their mates or themselves. I was rejected on my first visit for not having better control of my emotions. I am pleased to have waited knowing now what the effects of pon farr are like and my _ashau_ for my mate. If I had not thrown myself into rigorous meditation and adherence to my logical studies, I might have still believed myself above reproach. Upon further inspection between that time and now, I still discern areas in which I need to mature."

Zud nodded and nervously viewed the ongoing interaction between Rovoc and Spock's mate. "Yes indeed _S'haile,_ just as _T'Sa-mehk_ (my father) continues to stress, logic once gained must be actively held fast. I believe Rovoc has lost sight of that and now looks to passion as a means to obtain his desires...primarily a mate."

Spock looked back at the group and noticed the tension line his mate's face as she stared at the male in question. Rovoc for his part was openingly leering at his bride, using his superior height to try to intimidate her. Spock knew Nyota endured no fool despite her altruistic nature and from her stance was discontent with their conversation.

Without a word, Spock marched quickly towards them, his anger mounting as he watched Nyota dodge away from the wiry Vulcan youth as he sought to touch her. He _sought_ to **touch** **_her_**!?

Spock's vision went green and for a moment he lost himself to his underlying rage which was an ever present sign of his upcoming fever. As his mind boiled, vision of violence flashed before him. He would have Rovoc's head! He would take his neck between his hands as _wrench_ the life from him! Nyota was his! His!

Spock swayed with the strength of his emotions and Zud rushed to his side. "S'haile, your health?"

"I will be fine. I...I am still expecting," he admitted with a quavering breath.

Zud looked at him in horror, as his eyes brimmed with emotion though his shock-still face. " _S'haile_ , you mustn't delay deadening your blood fever...it could overcome you that you may die before your mate can alleviate your _plak-tow_."

Spock started to say he was sure it would not come down to such desperate measures but the words could not leave his mouth. He was not sure, not at all but he had given his word to let Nyota choose her time. Promises between bondmates were sacred and he would not dare blaspheme against it. "I will weather it as I choose," he replied hoarsely. "Release me. I must center myself and regain my control lest I murder my kinsman for his offense."

Zud let go immediately and Spock continued forward harnessing every fiber of calm that could be found to ease his fury. He wanted this to end in changed minds and not in shortened lives. As the pair came up on the crowd, he saw Nyota standing coolly in the middle with her short spear drawn at her side. Rovoc was half crouched across from her as he hissed angrily.

"A warning. As gentle as a kiss," Nyota chided at the Vulcan before her. "The next time I will not be so soft."

Rovoc flinched at her words and growled. Even with the same amount of terran years between them the Vulcan was easily thrice her strength and bulk. It was an unfair match.

"Next time you will know your place…!" the angry kinsman snarled, stomping towards Nyota with a clear intention to harm her. Nyota angled her blade up and yelled a quick warrior's cry just as Spock broke his silence.

"Know your place, Rovoc!"

Nyota visibly relaxed as Spock's voice rose above the din like her warrior's ululation. "What has happened?"

The crowd parted as Spock and Zud came forward and joined Rovoc and her in the middle.

"Your _supposed_ _komihn_ (human) maimed me!" Rovoc growled jabbing his bony finger towards Nyota. "I was trying to teach her of the old ways and she drew her blade on _me_."

"Supposed?" Spock questioned with a strong lift of his brow. There was nothing supposed about their bonding she was his as he was hers. Logically their word alone should be enough to cement that fact.

"It's a flesh wound, you'll live!" Nyota groused loudly. Nyota went towards him as swift as a lady fox, her freehand extended. Spock caught her loosely around the waist and embraced her fingers. As he touched her, they both took a long relieved breath and exhaled, momentarily basking at the other's need to find comfort from the other. She was safe from harm and he was here for her and that assurance further vented his temper.

"He made as if to _touch_ me! And the only way he informed me of was an act called _kah-if-fee_."

At the mention of _kah-if-fee_ (a female's rite to call another male to challenge her current suitor's hand in marriage/bonding), Spock's vexation came roaring back as he was incensed once again by the Vulcan. Only two years his junior, Rovoc more than knew better at twenty and two summers that he should not dare push a senior peer in such a fashion. Coming after his mate?

"An act of challenge. How dare you…"

"How dare you!" Rovoc shot back.

Spock and Nyota cast their gaze over to Rovoc's heavily scowling face as he shot them a venomous glare and launched into a long winded string of accusations. "How dare you bring her here unmarked!" he spat at the end furiously.

Spock looked coolly from one face to another as the gathered crowd looked from him to his mate. To his chagrin, he saw their noses flaring for his scent and their eyes combing her skin for evidence of his claim. When they found nothing but the healed wound at her neck and the clean scent of soap, their faces turned grave.

"Do you not want her? Is that why you brought her?" asked Havid, curiously. He eyed her with an open appreciation that set Spock's teeth on edge.

"Perhaps he means to share her," T' kell murmured into Rovoc's ear. His eyes did not leave Spock's as he watched his face for signs of movement. If he meant to fight him it looked as if the whole lot of them were spoiling for one.

"Maybe she has never even felt his touch?" offered Ovid, looking Nyota over with hungry eyes. "We can help you with that matter, _S'haile_ Spock…"

Nyota butted up against him and held his hand. Though she fought to keep it hidden, she was terrified. Gone was the happy contented mate that was enjoying her day out in the bush and resurfaced was the maiden that had he met on the culling rock.

He could feel her muscles bunch and coil, tensing as they prepared to give her feet flight. Spock pressed his fingers along her and bid her to stay her hand. She would not get three feet before they would be on her, like a pride of lions closing in for the kill. He could defend her for a spell but even with his more matured physique, Spock could not hold off eight nearly full grown Vulcan males without incurring serious injuries or death to his person or to his peers.

They were challenging his dominance as was their right if they were abiding in the old ways. Spock did not have much choice in arguing for the new, unless he meant to fight. He had to silence their mutiny now or risk losing Nyota and his life. He had to clear his offense but the way in which the ancient ones honored was not logical. It was...shameful but he saw no other better alternative.

"You need not help me where I can help myself…" he snarled at Ovid, curling back his lips to display his teeth. " If you are offended by her lack of claim, I shall do so here and now…"

"By all means, _S'haile_ , clear the offense." Rovoc sneered, narrowing his eyes.

Nyota startled beside him as he seized her arm and dragged her towards the lone acacia tree. She quailed loudly as he pinned her against it pushed her bodily up by his hips. Dipping his mouth down to her ear he made as if to bite her but spoke quietly to her in harsh tones. "I shall not take you but we _both_ _must act_ as if I am if we are to deceive them and quell their lust for you and violence. Do so proficiently, lest they kill us both."

He drew back and saw her face wide eyed with terror but she gave a slight nod of her head to acknowledge his command.

Nuzzling her ear he continued his encouragement. "Do not be afraid and focus on me, K'diwa. Whatever happens, I will protect you with my life," he murmured. He felt Nyota soften beneath him and her body relax. He gave a hurried kiss to her head, his nose rubbing against her braids.

With one last look back at the crowd circling around him, Spock put his plan into play. He assumed most of them were virgins as none of them were fully bonded and had no true sense of what the act would be like. If he were to gesticulate against Nyota as he had seen in the memories shared by T'Kaas of the bonded males during his purification ritual, perhaps they could bluff their way out of this.

Spock pushed swiftly at the bell of Nyota's dress and wedged himself between her legs, shaking as he fought to tamp down the effects of his upcoming blood fever. "Whatever foulness you hear me utter has no reflection on how I feel about you. I am putting on a show for the others and nothing more," he whispered quietly against the jingling headband chiming in his ears. Steeling himself against the flood of doubt and potential outcomes, he masked his logical countenance with that of his pon farr.

Humming, he gazed down at her beautiful face and felt his lok immediately harden. "T'nash _veh. (Mine)_ "

As he took ahold of her neck, he opened her mouth to his with the push of his thumb between her lips. Replacing his thumb with his tongue he kissed her thoroughly, taking no heed in keeping his lust to himself as he made love to her mouth.

She moaned into his throat and kissed him back like she had all those years before when he first made his claim, drunk on the swell of his need to have her.

He broke the kiss with a loud smack and eyed the swollen pink flesh of lips. Tracing the plush heat of her bottom lip, he eyed her darkly. "What I did to your lips here this one shall do to them elsewhere," he gloated loudly as the Vulcan herdsmen came closer.

Spock hooked his fingers around her cloth wrapped about her waist and tore it away with a quick flick of his wrist. She hiccupped at the air as he threw the shredded cloth behind him and ran his thumb over her jawline, staring at her as she trembled in his grip.

Even terrified as she was, Nyota looked stunning.

They were not melded for him to speak to her directly but he tried to soothe her fear with a wave of reassurance. He would not harm her; he did not wish to do this but he would not stand to allow anyone of them to touch her without answering for it in blood. His control over his anger only extended so far and right now he was using most of it to rein in his hunger to actually take her now.

"Little bird…they want to hear you _sing,_ " he crowed loudly for the surrounding males to hear. "They think that I haven't heard your song. Let them see how this one _pleases_ you with that pretty voice of yours."

He watched her face for any signs of discomfort but other than a hot prickling of embarrassment with an undercurrent of arousal, he felt no signs of outright dismay.

Shuffling the long black cloth at his waist, Spock bunched the dark fabric along with her dress to hide the fact that his erection was resting just between the folds of her sex and not butted against the entrance. Nyota moaned softly at the touch and bit at her lip to silence the noise.

Spock narrowed his eyes at her knowingly and huffed in desperation. She had to help deceive them otherwise there was no way that he would be able to help save her real modesty.

"What's that? I hear only silence," Rovoc taunted. "Your little bird wants a real male."

The other males murmured between themselves with amusement and Spock felt his ire rising. Putting his hands at her hips, he leaned forward and put his face to her neck. "My Nyota is just shy. She has all the male she needs right here…"

With an exaggerated pump of his hips Spock pushed up against her and bit her neck.

She cried out with perfect timing, shivering against his chest and clutching at his shoulders as if he actually was deeply seated inside her as the pain of his teeth rang through her. Spock ran his tongue across the puncture marks of her wound and began to rock against her. As her pained whimpering died down Spock was relieved to hear the sorrowful noise morph into moaning above him as the head of his lok brushed steadily along her clit.

"That is it. There is your voice. How euphonic…"

Spock felt his face flush as the scent of her arousal wafted across the air and into his nose like heated honey. He experimented with the tilt of her hips and found Nyota clawing at his shoulders after a particularly delicious slide. The blunt head of his lok bumped and skimmed across the small, hooded nub between her slit with an agreeable amount of friction for the both of them.

He gazed down at her face and was awed at the sight. Her vibrant cinnamon skin was ruddy at the rush of blood across her cheeks just as her plush lips reddened to the shade of freshly ripened pomegranates. Her wide crescent eyes were shut tight as she savored him and fought hard to ignore the others. Most arousing was her mouth, agape and musical as she panted in a way that spurred him on in his ruse of bedding her.

In spite of the current situation they found themselves in she was enjoying his touch. As his blood stained lips brushed up her neck, Spock could feel her body abuzz with excitement. Spock licked up towards her jaw and suckled on the skin spread across her trigeminal nerve, drawing on the psi energy there to gauge her thoughts.

What he felt was vague comparatively to melding but distinct enough that her emotions could translate some of the clarity that was left out. She seemed as surprised that the stroking would be so stimulating and...heady. Her fear about the surrounding Vulcans faded as the glide of his member across her clit made her body thrum with a sensation she had never experienced before by someone else's aid.

She whimpered and mewled as he continued to fake their coitus and clawed at the nape of his neck. "Spock! Oh…!"

A smug sense of virility flooded him as he listened to his name on her lips. "Ra _-ish T'Pi'lara_ (What was that, my little bird)? I do not believe the others heard you."

Spock pulled away from her neck and stared down at her face as Nyota's expression took on a mournful state. She was panting loudly and her skin was imbued with a growing sense of pressure at her womb. Licking at her throat, he steadied one hand against the tree and used the other to palm one of the cheeks of her rear. " _Nyota_ … _os-masu_ (My Nyota...come {crude})."

At the sounds of her name, she sobbed and shook fitfully against him. Peals of whining left her mouth as he felt her slit's moisture triple and coat his lok. Her hands on his neck saturated him with the pleasure of her climax as the digits dug into his skin. Spock's vision tunneled and he bucked against her violently. Savoring the residual energy pulsing from her fingers and the friction at his member, Spock stiffened above her and jerked at feel of his own implosion.

Adjusting his hips and angling Nyota's higher, he let the hot, sticky ribbons of white flow back between her bottom. Nyota whimpered as the first few streams trickled hotly down between her cheeks and dripped down onto the thirsty ground. High off of the thrill of pleasing his mate, Spock seized her neck again and dove in for another bite.

As savagely as he made it look, Spock soft mouthed over the wound that was already present already knowing her pain. Nyota played her part and screamed out as if pleasured again by it though he could feel that she was still titillated and dizzy from the previous orgasm.

Spock mocked his withdrawal and pulled away, leaving Nyota to sink down slowly from the tree onto the ground. He whirled around with his leaking erection on crude display beneath his loincloth as proof of their copulation and snarled at the herdsmen.

Their stony faces were flushed green and their breathing was rapid from his lewd demonstration. As Spock looked from face to face, none of them met his eye, his dominance solidly established among them. Ovid shook when his gaze landed on him while T'kell looked nervously away, pulling at the sides of his cloak and trying in vain to hide his own erection tenting in front of his waist.

Rovoc, however, did not appear at all remorseful for his taunting, looking down at the ground with the barest hint of a smile. Whether in need of logical teaching or just more openly human in his expression, Spock would no longer tolerate his benighted behavior now that it would be a first one on one.

He stomped over to the larrikin and punched the junior squarely on his jaw. The younger Vulcan reeled backwards and onto the ground, spitting as he cleared away blood and a chipped bit of tooth.

Stepping forward with his foot firmly wedged against his sternum, Spock shifted his weight and bore down on the insolent whelp. He only ceased when he heard Rovoc sputter for air as he clawed at the leather of his sandal. "The old ways are not as entertaining as one would think, now are they?"

The malefactor gapped at the air silently as he fought to breathe, thrashing weakly to free himself. As he did so, he managed to knock some of Spock's seed free and had it dribbled down onto his face.

"I do not hear a rebuttal…" Spock noted, watching his fellow Vulcan's faces for any sign of dissent. When he saw nothing but cowed faces he turned his attention back to the delinquent below his foot.

Rovoc wheezed and shook his head wildly in a plea of no contest. Spock was not satisfied. Just as Zud had confessed the lout had rallied the others to his cause, pushing Spock into degrading his mate by having her feign coitus with him in front of them like she was a whore!

He snarled as his rage took control, raising the hair along the back of his neck like the hackles of a painted wolf. "Duhsu _nirak_! (Foolish idiot)"

Glaring down at his openly frightened face Spock allowed himself to contort his face as well. With a fearsome scowl he leaned down and growled at the scared kinsman through his teeth, still red from Nyota blood. "If you want to indulge in the ancient ways then I will treat you in kind! If you _ever_ cast an eye at she who is my wife again I will have them cast **out** of your _skull_!" he shouted, raising his hand with his fingers clawed out like talons.

Rovoc nodded with his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. Spock could smell the bile in his mouth as Rovoc swallowed loudly with a whimper.

Spock lowered his voice once more, harnessing the wrath his pon farr inspired anger and channeled the emotion onto his face. It was unnatural; it was unbecoming of him to do so but...a point must be made. From his peripheral vision, Spock watched the surrounding Vulcans step back in discomfort at the upsetting display of him grimacing down at their comrade.

"... and if you ever dare force my hand again and challenge me…"

Driving one shoulder back and the other forward, Spock impaled his fist through the ground near Rovoc's head. Slowly drawing it free Spock allowed the dirt to run off of his knuckles as the young Vulcan stared back at the three inch hole beside him. "...I _will_ make it so you can _never_ do so again...Kal-If-Fee!"

Rovoc's paled beneath him despite the lack of air as the threat settled over him. In the face of his fury, Spock saw the front of the young Vulcan's cloth darken with urine. It seemed like too small of a payback for what he had Nyota do but he took the sign as a means to soothe his anger.

As soon as he removed his foot, the young herdsman scuttled to his feet and fell back in line with the others.

Spock pinned them all with a glare and took a deep breath to clear his anger. He should not have let his rage vent for so long; he could have triggered his plak-tow. But then again, having to fight off potentially eight other males as he protected his wife would have most assuredly started his blood fever. With a ragged exhalation, he scolded the group. "Our ways are not the Old ways! Seek out and hold fast to your enlightenment lest your _stupidity_ put an end to us all."

He said the last sentence staring at Ovid and T'kell to warn them away from following in Rovoc's footsteps. He was no one's chief nor even the oldest among their settlement but his noble Vulcan blood and scholarly nature typically had the younger peers looking up at him. That he had so thoroughly lashed them with his tongue and one with his fist would definitely raise Spock up in their estimation. The thought sickened him as to how and why.

"My wife...attend me," he called shifting the fabric at his waist back over his cock. He looked down at where she sat blushing, messing with her skirt as she sought to make herself decent. His poor Nyota, how he shamed her…

He sighed and picked her up, nuzzling at her neck while her jewelry continued to fill the air with music. The sound took on the demeanor of its owner, distraught in its tone. Nyota flinched at the touch as his nose brushed along the fresh bite mark and dug her fingers into his cloak.

"K'diwa (Beloved)...?" Her body was stiff in his arms as her arms went around his neck.

"Take me home…" she said softly, burying her face at his chest and closing her sight of their eyes on her small form.

Spock leaned down and hooked his hand across the straps of her belongings and carried all of it and her out from the open Mara. As they left the herd behind him, Spock swallowed roughly at the emotion of guilt he struggled to suppress but acknowledge. With the sun at their backs, Spock held Nyota soundly against him. "I am...I apologize for my behavior."

Nyota said nothing but hugged him back. Spock was grieved by her silence until he heard her voice quietly in his ear. "Thank you for keeping your word."

Spock wanted to sigh in relief at the sound of her voice but settled on holding her closer. She squirmed and he lowered her back down in his arms. "Do you wish to walk?"

Nyota shook her head and sighed deeply. "No. Carry me, please."

"I am sorry."

"I know."

"Nyota…"

"Spock, please I...I just want some time with my thoughts but I do not want to be alone with them."

He nodded slowly, his stormy emotions beginning to settle. It probably did not help her that his guilt and feeling of culpability was flooding over into her as he held her. For a while they remained quiet until he felt her emotions calm beneath his fingertips.

"We are apart but never parted. I will never forsake you, my _moran_."

Nyota smiled and huffed at the Maa word on his tongue. "I do not feel like much of a warrior. I do not know your ways which are now my ways, I do not like your people who are now my people and I needed you to come and save me. What kind of warrior am I?"

"Quite a brave one. You have gone boldly into a land that is not your own and challenged its nature by being so brilliant. You were strong and quick-witted and that scared the herdsmen. Not all Vulcans are so barbaric but most will have preconceived notions about you, K'diwa. They think that humans are dull, weak bodied and minded and that females are the lesser of the two. Show them their ignorance at what a human female really is and teach them to respect you, just as you continue to teach me, Nyota," he said earnestly.

Nyota was now looking up at him, curious to what else he would say. "I was of no help. I shamed you. I am grieved that what little aid I gave you tarnished the respect you earned and the awe you inspired. I have gone over the situation 32 times since departing and I…"

She kissed him. Spock inhaled sharply at the cool touch of her lips and blinked in surprise. When she drew back he felt a flicker of anger right before her open palm connected with his cheek.

He regarded her carefully as she lifted her chin at him. "That was a thorough apology and I forgive you but next time aid me by helping to toss our enemies on their asses."

He nodded compliantly. " _Ha, T'moran_. (Yes, my warrior.)"


	8. Chapter 8: The herdsmen Nyota's POV

Nyota couldn't keep the smile from her face.

Finally she was back outside with the sun to warm her and the wind to refresh her. The sky was open in an endless stretch of blue and the ground was wrapped in a golden green swatch of unending grass. It was beautiful and comforting in its familiarity and was the most grounding experience Nyota felt since joining Spock.

Well maybe not the most grounding but definitely relaxing compared to the fun they shared in Nyota's tutaluge over her Vulcan technology. After her use of the burner Spock thought it best to teach her about all of the appliance found throughout the home.

With a thorough walk through of the kitchen tools of Vulcan engineering and the strange flameless candles he called _asenara_ ( lantern), Nyota felt like she had a better grip on her new surroundings. Spock appeared pleased at her appreciation of each device's function, letting her guess its nature and operation.

The _fasek_ (oven) was just as convenient as the _yontayek_ (stovetop burner), taking the burden of kindling a fire out of the way as well as having to keep one burning. The _le-suma-tsorayek_ (icebox) was probably the most curious appliance with its bizarre ability to chill food and keep things cold. All these and more were powered by a glowing, lavender crystal that Spock insisted wasn't magical in nature.

" But how does it give life to so many different things?" she asked tapping at the warm exterior of the fridge and marveling at the cool breeze that left it as she opened the door.

" I would be more than amenable to inform you how." he said with a light in his eyes.

Like a Cheetah with her cub, Spock had quizzed her in rapid Vulcan on the items and how to use them, reviewing each appliance until he was satisfied that she had a solid handle of them and would not harm herself or their house.

While she loved all of the devices, Nyota was most taken with the _asenara_. The glassy white pillars glowed with a mellow hue of indigo or a cool white depending on the strength of their power and could be found throughout the whole house. Spock had followed behind her as she tapped them all off and on, seemingly enjoying himself as much as she was at the novelty of smokeless lighting. That night as they went to bed Nyota insisted on making sure all the lights were off before joining him under the heavy sheepskin pelt.

Spock watched as she laid awake pulling at the curiously patterned sheet underneath them. " What is on your mind, little bird."

Nyota turned her face and observed him staring at her with a wide eye stare. " Little bird huh? Is that how you see me?"

He didn't answer and waited patiently for her reply to his question. Tracing the smooth arching line of his brow with her eyes, Nyota formed her thoughts. " I would like to more about your _ek'misham_ …(mispronounced technology)?" She stumbled on the word as she rolled the strange Vulcan word and new concept around in her mouth and mind.

" Ah... _ek'mishan_ (technology)?"

" Yes, _ek'mishen_ , can you tell me more?"

Spock bobbed his head against the pad of the mattress and sat up. It seemed the opportunity to teach had reanimated him as he drew closer and picked up from where they left off that afternoon.

Nyota listened raptly, focusing as best she could even as she fought against the sleep fogging her mind. When startled with a snorting breath, Spock had brushed her cheek and pushed himself back towards the other side of the bed. " We will have more time to discuss this matter later. Goodnight, _pi'lara_."

" What's a _pi'lara_?"

" Something just as beautiful as you. Sleep." he said softly.

And she had and soundly as well. She dreamed of colors warm and bright, of flying and feeling the sun at her back. Spock was with her too, soaring like some dark shadow above her but he warded away everything else that she saw as a danger. He roosted beside her peering her feathers like a giant black eagle.

Funny that he should appear as a bird whose expression for the most part was fixed but experienced a wide range of emotion. When she woke he was huddled there next to her with his fingers curled around hers. As her eyes took their time to focus, his eyes opened and did the same, one set of lids at a time.

At her startled noise he blinked away the thinner, side sweeping set and used the thicker vertical ones. " You did not know...sorry if I woke you."

" What was that?!" she asked now very awake. She sat up and peered at his face again, searching for the thin green film that she saw shutter across his eye but it had disappeared completely. Nyota would have thought it just a figment if Spock had deliberately blinked with them again. He did so slowly, giving her a full demonstration of the second pair of lids he bore.

" They protect my eyes from the elements." he answered.

" One pair of lids is not enough for it?"

" Not for where my people are from."

Nyota chewed her lip and watched the pale bulk of his body rise to sit up and spoke her mind. " When you sleep do you dream?"

" Oftentimes no but between waking I meditate."

Nyota shifted as he crawled out of bed and moved to get dressed. " What do you think about during that time?"

He blinked slowly as if he were shrugging and turned to shed his bed clothing. Nyota adverted her gaze but still caught a tempting glimpse of his back side. She looked back for a closer look when he pulled on his loincloth and wrapped the black fabric about his waist. Guilt washed over her as she looked up to his face and saw him watching her. " I think about everything and nothing but mostly I think about _ashau_."

" _Ashau_? Who is she?" Nyota asked with a surprising spur of jealousy.

Oblivious as he answered back with a Swahili translation. " Mgeni love."

Nyota's brows furrowed and she pulled at the loose braid sweeping across her shoulder. " Your love is different from ours? How so?"

" It is passion beyond love and love beyond passion. It is halves becoming a whole and an affection that becomes a need."

" It sounds like a madness." Nyota said seriously, blinking up at him.

Spock huffed in amusement and reached down to fasten his shoes. " You do not understand."

" Then help me too. Tell me."

And when that failed, Spock melded with her and showed Nyota. A vision of her life streamed before her through his eyes with a swirling mass of emotion that chased each scene like a specter.

As the images progressed the emotions wrapped around her tightly, infusing her with a love that was dark and deep like a lake water at night. The pressure was both frightening and thrilling while his reaction was extraordinary. A dogged sense of duty to protect and preserve her was inspired by each interaction. She gave life to what Spock could not express emotionally on his own, with each song and dance she performed. He wished to do the same for her, providing her with all the _ashau_ her body could bear and devotion that would follow him beyond his death. He...was entrenched...no engulfed by her.

When they parted Nyota watched Spock with a new sense of curiosity.

Sometimes he was just Spock, an inquizitive, arrogant scholar turned herdsman but moments like this when she's confronted with his alien biology she became unsure of herself and her feelings towards him.

Which of these versions of Spock was she beginning to trust? To care for? Was there really truly a difference? If she were to ever love him would her human love be enough to satisfy him? After her observations Nyota was hesitant to say so. She had been prepared in so many ways, feared so many outcomes but that the mgeni that would keep her feeling the way Spock did about her was not one of them. She had not expected kindness, a generous show of faith as he allowed their intimacy to follow her pace and it baffled her.

She rubbed her arm as she looked down to her lap. The slip of fabric that she used as panties covered her quim were wet with want. Being near Spock had her changing them regularly. She had never been so titillated before and it bothered her. There were times that the touch of his hand to her skin made her feel as if her insides were teetering on the edge of a huge cliff, dangling above a dark pit that was hungry to swallow her.

Nyota wanted to fall, she was curious about the crevasse that felt so much like the pleasure she felt when her heart danced and her sex clenched but shame kept her at bay. Once he bedded her, he would know...see how unschooled she was at pleasing him and he would no longer want her.

While he may not eat her the love she saw in his vision, the ashau he said he felt for her would fade and leave her cold as she sought him out again. He would be disappointed by the constant need to teach her.

Surely he had bedded many women like the elders had told her the mgeni were prone too. Their lust surpassed that of a man and the Maasai and some Bantu had many wives to feed their hunger for love and passion. She was not sure how Vulcan women looked but she knew of her own.

Thin, with a small chest and heavy backside, Nyota did not feel that Spock would enjoy her as he might some of the other women of her tribe. They were all the things Nyota wished she was: taller, softer, full bosomed and more knowledgeable about bedroom manners. The shamans and elders had ordered all marked women to be as pure as possible and that included their sexual know how. Other than what she had observed she had no other understanding of how things were to go.

She blushed and pulled angrily at the wool of their sleeping pelt. How could Nyota do it on her on, inexperienced and afraid?

" I am going to check to the cattle today." he said, fastening his belt and adjusting his cloth. He left his chest bare and shrugged a heavy cloth cape across his back, looking at her as he dresses. " Would you care to accompany me?"

Her mouth fell open, she felt herself smiling wildly. " Yes! I would love it!"

Outside! Finally Nyota would free of this confusing mansion of brick and stone. She hopped out of bed and fixed her clothing, adoring all her jewelry as if she were going out to the market.

Spock watched her as she tied on her headband and straightened the silver strands of metal that dangle daintily in front of her face. " We are just going to see the cattle not the council of elders." he remained her.

Nyota shrugged happily and continued to attached charms the many silver hoops at her ears and imagined what the outing will be like. Perhaps she could gather things to adorn their home now?

As lady of the house according to the Maasai she could set her schedule and decorated the house as she saw fit. The Bantu depending on the tribe were more into homemaking than their nomadic cousins and saw beautifying their home as a privilege and a treat. The possibilities bubbling up kept her mood buoyant as Nyota imagined making that new house a home.

There was also the prospect of getting a gourd full of milk or blood to drink with cows being about. It had been so long since she had either and her mouth watered at the remembered taste of hot, buttery mixture she would often times make for the warriors and herdsmen of her own village.

She hadn't brought up the craving to Spock since she was unsure of how he feel about the main staples of her father's people's diet. Other nations that encountered foreigners much more frequently would report the visitors recoiling as if to retch at the sight or offer of eating raw curdled blood.

For Nyota it was no different than eating ugali (boiled dough) or soured milk. Everyone would clamor among her siblings to get the first hot, salty taste of blood straight from the cow.

Spock seemed very sensitive as to what and how he ate and for the life of her Nyota couldn't picture the Mge...Vulcan with wet, sticky fingers and his jaw smeared red as he feasted on what she considered a delectable mainstay.

If it came up while they visited the shepherds she would ask to bleed one of the cows. If she got the sense that relations could go south she would console herself with warm belly of whatever milk could be had from one of the calving cows.

" Nyota, attend me." he said extending his hand. Nyota looked up from her musing and nodded and with a quick check of the perimeter ( and the lights) set off for the grazing fields.

Spock walked silently beside her like her own personal guardian as she skipped along the narrow trail gathering much needed plant matter for cooking and medicine and a few odds and ends for jewelry making. Spock watched the land for humans and beasts alike, looking serious and aloof all at once, though at the back of her mind she felt him soft and mellow like warm water.

A good ways out Spock turned to regard her and she beamed up at him as he caressed her neck. He was careful to avoid her wedding collar and hair as he ran his fingers across her skin leaving her whole body flushed at the rush of his affection. She smiled and saw his brows pinch together as he adjusted the long black scarf along his back. He flipped a bit of it over his head and continued his silence.

His _shuka_ like cloak had a hood sewn along one side possibly to hide his Vulcan features from any people that happened to pass them by. His pale olive skin would stick out like weed if they came to close but with her by his side they would perhaps think that she was guiding him to a neighboring village. It was not unusual for marked woman to do so but they were typically escorted by a warrior and another women back to their village to ensure her safety and purity.

Nyota had never had a problem in doing the task though walks with Asa had a tendency to make her feel flustered as he made not entirely innocent remarks for someone in her position. When he offered to perform a warrior courting dance to gain her opinion on his proficiency she declined any further proposed opportunities to walk her home. Her sister had been with her at the time it happened and she clucked her tongue at his antics and Nyota's serious rebuke of it.

" Asa fancies you Nyota. He means you no harm. He is just trying to make you smile."

" It would be better if he left me to frown." Nyota shot back bitterly, storming off ahead of her. " He is not suppose to humor me, just take me back to the village!"

Nyota blinked away the memory and came back to the present. The past was not healthy for her to dwell on right now and was better left where it belonged.

Looking around at her surrounding she surprised that they were walking further away from their home and were passing over the trail that lead back towards her village. Her chest ached and constricted as the memory of her departure came flooding back. Goma wailing cries, her mama's pleading with her to be gone and...her father.

His voice though quieter than the rest that day had plagued her the most. The grief in it was quite evident as he begged her forgiveness. She had been shocked silent then but felt the words that went unsaid rubbing and burning at her throat. It wasn't his fault, she knew that now more than ever. What Spock felt...what he feels even now would not have gone on unsatisfied and it was she who had provoked his attentions, whether right or wrong.

Water welled in her eyes as she thought of the blame her poor baba might still feel at her marking. Was Goma well? Had she and her mother recovered from their bereavement? Did Bina ask after her? How long would it be before they all forgot her?

Spock watched her glance at him less and less the closer they came to the trail, unaware of her emotional break and huffed in annoyance.

" Do you wish to go back, Nyota?"

She looked at him in confusion as the words left his mouth. It was the first time she thought she had ever truly heard emotion in his voice and it seemed like it was bitterness aimed towards her. What had she done since they had been walking that could cause such resentment. " Why? Did you wish me to go back?"

He actually frowned at her as he took in her words. " No. I wish for you to stay with me."

" Then why would you ask such a thing?" she asked in exasperation.

" You appear to be distressed. I assumed that your emotional upset was caused by our passing the road to your village. Is that true?"

She nodded and shrugged at the weight of his eyes on her face. It was unfair that he could go blank of expression while being able to see hers so freely. How could she hide her broken heart like a Vulcan when she was only human? It was in her culture to lament openly but she was his now and he would not truly understand it or her, would he?

There was no avoiding his question so she answered out right. " Yes, I miss my family. I also miss my way of life but...I could never go back. As a marked woman I am seen as an outsider that blesses the community by keeping the peace between our people. If I were to go back, I would be seen as someone who not only is shirking their duty but needlessly starting an act of war between Mg...Vulcans and humans. I am already failing as it is."

" Clarify?" he demanded.

She swallowed casting down her eyes as she shuffled her feet around. Guilt welled up inside her as she thought of the wedding night they never truly had. " As your wife, I have not... _performed_ all of the duties that you would have of me."

Running her hands across her red pack at her side she bit at her lip to keep from hugging herself and tearing up. " I am not with child. I have not...I'm still…"

Spock sighed and nodded resting his hand where the long band of cloth that circled his waist bunched around the deep v of his pelvis. Nyota ripped her gaze away from where her eyes wanted to followed and went back to stare at his face. " I see...all in due time. I am not in a rush...mentally speaking. Biologically however...I wish to give you all the time you need."

" Why?" she asked brusquely. No man waited for what he wanted and could have now but he wasn't human and if he only got her in the first place for the deed then why not just get it over with and relieve himself of his alien male ailment? That's why he got her...didn't he? A pretty faced maiden to own and have at a moment's notice? She felt her face sneer in disgust at the thought of him pawing over her like a piece of meat. If that's what he wanted well then...

" Because…" he caught her shoulder and turned her small frame towards him. " I care about what do and do not want. If I could I would let you visit your family if it were not taboo. I am...displeased in not being able to give you that option but in this matter however I can give you a choice."

He took her hand and pressed it down along his side so she could feel the hammering thump of his heart along his ribs. " _Du' ek'varisurik nash veh_. ( You are wholly beautiful to this one)"

A sizzling burn issued from his hand boiled up her arm and down into her chest. There it fractured and rippled, simmering down to her womb and spiked back out in a furious jolt. Nyota startled at the sensation so much like the one she knew from her evenings along with her fingers. As the pleasure of it ripped through her she cried out and jerked against his touch.

How did it happen? Why was it every time he touched her she felt so filled with emotion that it made her insides burst? She felt the pressure building again and pulled at her hand for fear that her quim would make her shudder once again.

Spock looked dismayed by her reaction and released her. Nyota was in the middle of pulling again when she went sailing backwards. She didn't anticipate his letting her go and cried out again as she fell. Nyota was almost parallel to the ground when Spock caught her with an ease that made her heart jump. His grip isn't tight but firm as he held her and gave her time to gather her wits.

Nyota took a deep breath and excused herself shuffling to her feet before he could learn what was going on. She had a sinking suspicion that he could read her thoughts like the mystics said and if he knew that she had been overcome by his touch and had reacted so lustfully at the swell of his emotions...no, she couldn't even imagine.

Shame filled her as she avoided his dark eyed stare and headed back in the direction they were headed. " Let's go."

He protested, suggested that they perhaps go back home and do something else but going back home with the way her womb throbbing was the last thing she wanted to do. Besides the air was refreshing and had already balmed the burning blush at her cheeks. No more pining for her family she thought as she straightened her back. She wanted to see people and won't have his jealousy or his embarrassment of her confine her indoors.

Spock insisted that he was not ashamed of her but he didn't meet her eyes as he said it.

Instead he stared off into the distance towards the low sound of mooing and grunting. Nyota followed his line of sight and sees the first few cows of his settlement's herd.

It was larger than any she had ever seen and as they got closer Nyota sees that the cattle themselves are bigger as well. Akole cows, she thinks as she stared at the massive horns protruding from their temples.

Most of the herd is a bright coppery red, with small clutch of them sporting white spots as well. As they passed the cattle on the whole ignore her and Spock, as they work to add to their cuds and break down the dry, scratchy grass.

Nyota felt a bitter resentment rise and knot her stomach. Somewhere else in the Mara other cows from this herd are under the headship of her father's men. How many had she been worth to Spock she thinks as she glared at their dark brown eyes.

Spock seemed to catch her mood and inquired after it. " Is something amiss?"

" How much cattle did you part with for me?" Nyota asked flatly, her early arousal and embarrassment forgotten as she looked at the herd with an unfocused stare.

" One hundred pregnant cows."

Nyota's stunned silent as she stopped and stared at him. " A typical bride price is three cows and two sheep…"

" You are not a typical bride." he said quietly moving past her.

Nyota frowned and pulled at her scarves. He was so aggravating to her nerves. She never felt on even ground when it came to his affection for her. He was overly doting, ostentatious even with the way that he expressed it and she didn't know how to respond to all his lavish gestures and his nonchalance about them.

From the warmth he stirred inside her to the fear he sometimes inspired in her mind with his alien face, Nyota's heart ached in confusion. Spock made her want to reach out as much as recoil but as her misgivings lessened so too did the feeling of losing herself. She felt both adored and smothered.

" _Spock! Ha'tha ti'lu!_ (Good morning)!"

Nyota moved to his side as someone in a cloak similar to Spock's hurried towards them. His hood fell back and Nyota inhaled sharply at the sight of his face. The male's face is a mixture of Vulcan and Bantu. His large eyes were hooded by the serve swoop of his brow and his curly hair is cropped down towards his scalp. His skin favored the complexion of milky tea allowed to steep overnight and his height is just a few inches below Spock's. As he drew to a stop Nyota saw that his head and waist bore bands of animal pelts like that of the Ngoni in the south.

When Nyota looked back up from the belt she caught him studying her face. He probably was looking over her attire as well but his eyes lingered on her neck. For a brief moment she saw his nostrils flare and she narrowed her eyes at him. Why was he sniffing at her? How rude...

" Salutations, Havid. How is the herd?" Spock asked obvious to their exchange.

" Rearing well and lactating as expected." the lanky Vulcan answered. Havid's eyes fell back to her neck and Nyota felt herself step back and raise her chin in response. She wouldn't tolerate being stared at so brazenly. " Who is this female?"

" She who is my wife, Nyota." he stated, resting his large hands heavily at her shoulders.

Nyota drew herself up as tall as she could and leveled the male with a haughty stare. " Greetings, male." she said as clear and crisply as she could in Vulcan.

She felt Spock's hands flinch against her as Havid tilted his head at her curiously. She was not used to being referred to as female and from his delivery it was clear he meant it as an insult Vulcan or not. She learning from Spock that Vulcans weren't as emotionless as they let on. Maybe the older ones among them that came directly from their star were affected in that way but it seemed that those with human blood were more like herself.

Havid blinked at her and looked back at Spock. " _Ni dungi-karik_...(So strong-willed)."

" _Heh ne'talupau_ …( And underestimated…)" she fired back.

At that Havid's brows shot up towards his hairline but the rest of his face remained still. " Pa'shik...(Clearly). Would you care to see the cattle, _T'sai_ Nyota (lady)?"

At his reply in one of her native tongues she nodded happily with a smile. " Yes, please. I would enjoy that very much. Is there any milk to be had?"

" Plenty, _T'sai_. (lady)"

Nyota gave a wobbly shake of her head and wave of her head. " You need not address me as lady, Nyota will do."

Havid's face blanched at her request and he gave Spock a furrowed brow look. " You are not mine to call by your name _T'sai_ nor is your station as low as mine that I could call you something else. _S'haile_ ( Lord) Spock has given you the title _T'sai_ by way of your marriage."

" Oh." she replied simply, not letting her ignorance tamp down her enthusiasm. " Well then, _T'sai_ it is. Please led the way."

Spock shadowed them as Havid pointed out the dairy cows nearest to them and Nyota eyed their fat udders hungrily. Shifting her baggage away and off of her back she selected the ingri gourd and pointed to the dappled chestnut female closest to them. " May I milk her?"

Havid nodded and the Vulcans tailed her as she walked carefully over dung and scurrying beetles surrounding the piles towards her chosen cow. She removed her bags and put them down on the ground, glancing up at the cow. The bovine gave a quick lurch of her head but at the soft, steady touch of Nyota's hand settled and went back to feasting on the grass.

Nyota looked the beast over before milking her and felt that she had chosen wisely though its gums and eyelids looked pale. " Havid, is this typically where you graze the cattle."

" Yes, the others and I watch them here primarily, _T'sai_."

" This cow looks anemic. Did you allow her to eat her afterbirth after her labor was done?"

Navid mouth curved slightly at the mention of the spongy sac. " We typically burn them to deter predators from coming near the weaken mothers and newborn calves."

It was Nyota's turn to frown as she looked at him with a doubtful look. " You should stop that practice immediately. Even with a fire every animal on the Mara will smell the calves. If a lion pride gets hungry enough it will route around the fire and test your defensives. Let the mothers eat it the afterbirth and your milk gains will grow as they heal quicker and return to calving faster. They have you and the bulls to protect them, do not shirk your duties as a _moran_."

" A _moran_ …?" Havid puzzled over the Maa word.

" A warrior. I am moran and you are moran. We protect the herd, our people and our way."

" You are a female." Havid said slowly, as if explaining a predicament. Nyota rolled her eyes and pulled the stopper free from the gourd.

" And you are observant." she replied just as condescendingly. " I have earned the titled. I spent days and nights doing as I was told to be both domestic and bush savvy. I can fix chapatis as easily as I can hit a jackal with a bow. I know myself, I am a _moran_ wife."

She began milking the cow, leaving Havid stunned and staring at Spock for answers. From the corner of her eye she saw Spock give a slight tilted nod, like a shrug. " Maasai woman are quite...robust lot. You would do well to mark one for your own."

" I promised my _Ko-mehk_ that I would bond within her nation." Havid said though Nyota noted that he did not tell Spock he would not or could not go after a Maasai woman.

She sniffed and massaged the teat in her hand, drawing the milk out and down into her ingri. If he was honoring his word to his parents that was one thing but if he was too much of a coward to deal with her then he need not go and find one. A bantu girl would do just nicely as Havid seemed to prefer a woman that was more docile.

Her mother's people had tighter knit families than that of her father's, working to ensure the community thrived in its chosen space and not moving unless marriage or death made them do so. Even with the hard work that her sisters did out and around the home, they were far more different than her Maa cousins.

She finished with the ingri, filling it nearly to the lip before stopping it back up with the wooden cork. She licked her hand free of the cream and hummed at the buttery taste. She felt her eyes prick with tears as the smell of cows and taste of milk reminded her of home but quickly blinked them away.

" If you are Maasai, do you drink blood?"

The question surprised her as she thought that Havid would be either ignorant of her culture or too coy to ask. " Yes I do."

" Just cow's?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. " Yes just cow's."

" How do you do it?"

Nyota looked back to Spock who was now surrounding by four other males talking lowly in hushed tones. When did they arrive and how had they been so quiet that she hadn't noticed? She thought back at how Spock had snuck up on her when he retrieved her and swallowed down some of her vigor. No matter her prowess, a Vulcan was liable to do just as good if not better on certain tasks. Sneaking through tall grass seemed to be one of them.

" Is it okay?"

" It is whatever you wish." he said evenly though he does not pay her much mind as the male before him was talking to him with a spirited animation of his hands. Though not as much as the average human was still quite a bit for a Vulcan as the chai skinned Vulcan waved his arm towards the cattle.

As she searches her bag for a ribbon or string Nyota can't help but notice the difference between Spock and the others.

Where she thought all the Vulcan beings would be pale like Spock she saw the very evident touch of the Bantu people (large collection of tribal notions found throughout Africa) as she looks at the gathering crowd. How many of these creatures were there? As she selected her blade with the bluntest tip she counted out of the corner of her eye. With Havid beside her, the a lone Vulcan approaching to her right and five giving her an audience now she had seven Vulcans surrounding her. She did not want to give the feeling of being outnumbered creedence but as they watched her as just as much if not more than her skill Nyota had to seriously take it into account.

She motioned with her arm towards a young bull and readied her tie to help staunch the flow. " Subdue that one and hold him still."

" What is the human doing?"

Havik turned to the approaching Vulcan just as he was about to hold the yearling. " Trapping blood to drink."

" Is she an _e'shua_ (demon)? What is the purpose of drinking its blood?"

" Her people do so for nourishment." Havid replied evenly looking to Nyota for approval. She nodded that he was indeed correct.

The Maasai were warriors first and foremost, capturing cattle, women and roaming the land that God saw fit to give them, until they settled down in some of their ways. Now more of them were herders with some farmers amongst them as they sought to carve out a living. Cows were their ' breath of life' and provided them with everything they needed whether something to drink, eat or a means to gain wealth.

Nyota eyed the newcomer with distaste and rolled her eyes as he did the same. She wasn't sure of what an _e'shua_ was but she was certain he had not complimented her.

The sallow looking youth lifted his chin with a puff of air from his lips. " What a primitive means of dining. Are they too dull witted to farm."

Nyota stood up from her work of banding the young bull's neck and glared at the newcomer. " We are far from dull witted. I would ask the same about your ways of throwing calves. What farmer throws out the afterbirth?" she challenged.

He quieted and studied her face as she replied smoothly in Vulcan. After a while he smiled at her and stepped forward into her space. " What a brazen female...do you have a name human."

" It is not yours to say." she said icily, remembering Havid's words. " I am not your mate."

" That could be arranged…" he replied coolly. " You are new so you don't know your rites in the old ways. You can call for kah-if-fee and I will be free to have you once I best Spock. He is stuck in meditations and oppressing the passion that comes to us so naturally. He has probably left you hungry for more when he finishes with you…"

Nyota shot him a look of shocked disgust and baulked away. " I beg your pardon?"

" Do not play coy human. Come with me and I will have you begging for more than pardon." he smirked stepping forward to close the space between them once again. " I like a challenge…"

He reached for her face she shot her arm open palm against his sternum. Gentle woosh of breath left from his lips before his smile returned. " Hmph, as gentle as a kiss. Come, give Rovoc another, _komihn_!"

The male reached for her hand but she dodged him reflexively. She went for her blade and with all her weight behind it Nyota reeled her arm out and across his bare chest. As she connected felt his skin part like a pelt rather than human flesh. It appeared that Vulcans were thick skinned as she observed the small line drawn into his skin. An angry green gash appeared on his chest and welled with the murky liquid.

" Do not touch me!" she shouted, circling back away from him and towards the direction that she saw Spock depart. Where was he? The other six herdsmen were closing in around them and leaving Nyota very little room to move or escape.

Nyota reflexively took on the stance that her father's people adapted when hunting lions. When it came to nature the Maasai were fearsome warriors by knowing when to show their might or bluff. She lowered her blade marginally and stared back at him with evident contempt. He was beneath her her body seemed to say as she flaunted an air of confidence she did not feel. As she stood firm her jewelry seemed to teeter with laughter at both of them.

Rovoc looked down at the wound and back to her face in wild eyed fury. He was definitely different from Spock. " You cut me?!" he roared in barely suppressed rage.

" A warning. As gentle as a kiss." she glowered. " The next time I will not be so soft."

" Next time you will know your place…!" he snarled stomping towards her.

" Know yours, Rovoc!"

Nyota visibly relaxed as Spock's voice rose above the din like a warrior's ululation. " What has happened?"

The crowd parted as Spock and Zud came forward and joined Rovoc and her in the middle.

" Your supposed _komihn_ maimed me!" Rovoc growled jabbing his bony finger towards Nyota. " I was trying to teach her of the old ways and she drew her blade on me."

" _Supposed_?" Spock questioned with a strong lift of his brow.

" It's a flesh wound, you'll live!" she grumbled. Turning to Spock Nyota went towards him. As he touched her the both took a long relieving breath and exhaled, momentarily basking at the others need to find comfort from the other.

" He made as if to touch me! And the only way he informed me of was an act called _kah-if-fee_."

At the mention of _kah-if-fee_ Spock's eyes take on the same wild expression as Rovoc's though the rest of his face remained immobile. " An act of challenge. How dare you…"

" How dare you!" the younger Vulcan shot back. " You come here, Lordling, waving your little tart about in front of our faces with nothing but your word that she is yours! She has no fresh marks about her and yet she is your new bondmate? I call you on your farce of a union and ask for proof to argue otherwise!"

Nyota felt her body turn to lead as Rovoc lobbed one accusation after at them with the others closing in. What was the nature of their offense? Markings? Did they mean scarification cuts like the nations in the westlands? She took a quick survey of the males and saw no such marks on their faces or chests. What were they talking about?

" She has no scent about her…" Rovoc taunted.

The males looked to one another and then back to her as if reaching some agreement amongst themselves.

" Do you not want her? Is that why you brought her?" asked Havid, curiously. He met her eye in a heated glance that she had only witnessed on Spock's face, making her hair stand up on end. No, what was happening?

" Perhaps he means to share her." T' kell murmured into Rovoc's ear. His eyes were on Spock's face but his body was angled towards her. The tide of this small sea of people was turning and Nyota feared that she would be caught in its uprising. They referred to Spock as their young Lord but yet they were testing his merit like an unseasoned scout.

" Maybe she has never even felt his touch?" offered a stout looking male, looking her body over with hungry eyes. " We can help you with that matter, _S'haile_ Spock…"

No she thought again, backing up and grabbing a hold of her husband's hand. There would be no such helping. She felt Spock's emotions move to settle her, washing away the tension in her legs as she readied herself to run. He made a quick grip of her hand and Nyota felt her body relax even further. In the strength of his hold she felt as if Spock had devised a plan.

" You need not help me where I can help myself…" Spock snarled at him, curling back his lips. Those strange jagged teeth along the sides were on full display of the sun flashed brightly against them. His already large frame seemed to grow larger as he drew himself up and glared at the bunch. As he towered above her, Spock appeared like an angry lion, his chest rumbling against her as a growl brewed just within the cavity.

In a voice and swagger she could not recognize Spock's voice resonated through the gathering with an audible hiss. " If you are offended by her lack of claim, I shall do so here and now…"

" By all means, S'haile, clear the offense. Honor our old ways and we will honor you." Rovoc answered in kind.

With only a buzz at her skin to warn her Spock pulled Nyota bodily towards the only tree in the immediate area, pushing her up along the truck and pinned her there with the weight of his hips. Oh God, what was happening?!

" Ah! Spock please!" she pleaded loudly, on the verge of tears. They wanted him to bed her in front of their eyes! " Aaaiiyyeee! Spock!"

He wasn't suppose to do this, be this way, act like them! He gave her his word! Terror gripped her tighter as ran his hands over her. Had all those words and gestures been done just to soothe her like a lamb for the slaughter? She fought back the tears of her angst and bit at her lip. She would let none of them see her cry.

Spock pushed her higher with a tilt of his pelvis and licked slowly at his lips. Not for the first time did she feel that Spock might actually eat her. He lowered his mouth to her neck but instead of biting her it he surprised her with words murmured against her skin. " I shall not take you but we _both_ _must act_ as if I am if we are to deceive them. Do so proficiently, less they kill us both."

He pushed the the skirt of her dress up around her thighs and moved into the space it cleared. His groin is as hot as her center and warmed her further even as she felt herself trying to hide from the prying eyes around them. He leaned forward again and made a big gesture as if licking her ear. " Do not be afraid and focus on me, K'diwa. Whatever happens I will protect you with my life."

In that instant she trusted him at his word. From the warm, buoyant flow of energy that Nyota felt from his skin she knew that he meant every word. Spock kissed at her temple and murmured once again. " Whatever foulness you hear me utter has no reflection on how I feel about you. I am putting on a show and nothing more."

She started to nod when his large, fervid hand laced around her neck and stopped the movement. Spock drew back and the Mgeni she imagined in her mind for the past 7 summers reemerged and stole away the Vulcan she knew Spock to be. Looks aside this was not the husband she knew but as his skin met hers she felt that presence of old him. Amazing that he would be able to channel all her misconceptions of who he was and put on the mask of such savagery.

He ran his thumb across her jaw and back against her lip before pushing the fat digit between her lips and into her mouth. She inhaled sharply around it as he opened her mouth and fasten his lips onto hers in a smoldering kiss. His tongue chased and pinned hers, thrusting against her teeth and cheek as he claimed her mouth. She moaned at his attentions, swept away by his passion. They had kissed but never like that. She skin crawled and her panties dampened as he nibbled at her tongue. So good, why did it feel so good?

He broke away with a growl and she trembled in the face of the wild beast he became. Her beast. " What I did to your lips here this one shall do to them else where." he gloated loudly as the Vulcan herdsmen came closer.

His face was static but for the dark, fiery stare as his other hand took a hold of her panties and ripped the fabric in two. A shocked sound left her lips as his knuckles brushed against her before pulling away and throwing the ruined underwear behind him.

Even as petrifying as he presently was Nyota found Spock and his touch disconcertingly addictive. A lulling ripple of tranquility laced with a heady pool of lust poured over from his hands and Nyota clung to it like she did his hand.

" _Pi'lara_ …they want to hear you _sing_." he crowed loudly for the surrounding males to her. " They think that I haven't heard your song. Let them see how this one _pleases_ you with that pretty voice of yours."

His eyes watched her face as he moved the heavy fabric of his loincloth out of the way. Under the rolls of fabric Spock settled his torrid member between her folds. It was hot and slick with a moisture similar to what could be found in her own sex. He gathered the fabric around their waist and hide their modesty and ruse, much to her relief.

As he shifted his erection slid down along the nub she knew to bring her pleasure and she made a bawdy moan at the touch. She bit her lip immediately to stifle the outburst and coughed with embarrassment. They heard her, they were listening to her yowl like a she-cat.

Spock narrowed his eyes on her pursed mouth and glanced over and back to the males not five feet from them. She was dizzy with need but she was self-conscious of her pleasure being voiced. She had never done this before so how could she suppose to convince an audience otherwise.

" What's that? I hear only silence." Rovoc taunted. " Your little bird wants a real male."

The other males murmured between themselves in amusement and Nyota's eyes widened at the comments.

" _Look at how she blushes. Humans are so emotionally expressive during coitus_." murmured the one named Ovid.

" _He placed his mouth on hers and seemed to gain a favorable reaction. I wonder if that is singular to her or extends to other females…_?" ask one the others referred to as Salik.

" _S'haile's mate voice is quite melodic but she is the most quiet she has been since arriving..._ "noted Havid.

Spock huffed bitterly and took a hold of her hips. Licking his lips again he put his mouth to her neck. Nyota shivers as the heat of her breath brushed against her skin. As he licked at the tendon she tensed in his arms as she was beginning to know this preparation very well.

" My Nyota is just shy." he crooned loudly beneath her ear. "She has all the male she needs right here…"

With an exaggerated pump of his hips Spock pushed up against her and sank his teeth in one quick motion. Her shook from the shock of pain and she wailed in a high, ear-piercing scream. He groaned as if his cock was actually deeply embedded inside her and not his teeth in her neck. Tears stung her eyes as the jagged stab of his teeth ran down her side and stole her breath with a hiccuping gasp.

A voice to her right gasped along with her marveling at Spock display of ownership. She did not dwell on it much as Spock's thin, scratchy tongue ran over the wound, balming the sting like a warm, moist towel. She moaned in relief and pushed into the touch, shuddering as his hips began to rock against her. Nyota closed her eyes to the sea of faces and focused on the downpull and upswing of his ample erection over her clit.

All the fire his hand holding had kindled earlier during their trek came roaring back with avengence. Try as she might Nyota couldn't help herself as she mewed and arched against him.

Her hips rolled in sync with his while her fingers dug into the fabric of his cloak. Spock bowed back down to her neck licking and sucking every bit of her skin her clothing and jewelry allowed. She wanted more, needed more of his touch that she thought she had gone mad. Push, pull, up, down, Spock's lurid touch helped her as she chased after the heady rush of pressure building in her center. " Mmm Spock...Hmm." she whined, clawing at his neck.

She wanted to ask him for more but more of what she had yet to figure out. More speed, more touching at her waist, her breasts, she was at a lost. Nyota let her head fall back and Spock was there in an instant holding her throat between his teeth and growling as he held her neck captive. " Si dai oleng…( very nice)" she sputtered, half starved for air. Her lungs forgot to breath and hitched up when one of his hands palmed the underside of her breasts beneath her dress and she had yet to recover. " Kaomon...kaomon...Spock, kayieu...! (please….please, Spock, I want...).

She did want something but what she wanted was not in her maiden vocabulary to ask after. What had possessed her she thought as the Maa words came spilling out of her mouth in a crude request for release. Never had she ever been so bold but she couldn't help herself as she felt the tension inside her building higher than it has ever been. Spock was grunted against her, with his hot breath brushing on her face, looking to her eyes for what she was asking for. The memory of her brief encounter with palm wine comes to mind as her thoughts swirled and spilled away just out of her reach. She felt drunk but it was the mgeni between her legs that was causing it. She didn't want him to stop as much as she cared to hide herself away from it all, the breathy pants, the ogling eyes and tempted minds. She wanted to only be his.

The crowd is no longer there as she felt him move faster and call her name. She choked at the air and felt the beginning of her descent down and out as her insides came crashing in over her control and swept everything away.

She keened and sobbed her body shivering against Spock like a fevered invalid. He groaned above her with a jerk that sent her higher against the trunk. Nyota felt the hot, sticky essence of his body litter her bottom as he went back to mouthing against her neck possessively.

In that moment she felt puzzled. Was this what sex was like? She wasn't sure if how she felt about it with so many prying eyes about but…

Spock licked at her jaw, his face and teeth red like she tried imagining earlier when it came to the curdled blood, only she was his cow and his breath of life. With one last look between them Spock shifted his hips and parted from her, rearing around to face his kinsmen with his wet cock on display.

Nyota fought her skirt down as her knees gave out, trying not to give the males a show of herself or dirty her wet bottom. Coming down from the high she was confronted with everything that had happened. Her gross ignorance of his people's ways, her arrogance about her own, her perplexing need to stay pure despite yearning for Spock's touch and her fear that she would never be free of them.

Nyota had come here so sure of herself and so carefree and from her lack of tact and grace she had made enemies were she could have possibly made friends. No doubt that Rovoc would have still caused trouble just as the jackal stirred the lions to hunt but perhaps the others would not have been so crass if he hadn't been so loudly opinionated. Or if she had been more gentle towards their cultural differences. She would be hard pressed to forgive their crude words and frightening offers but Rovoc would not gain any atonement from her. He deserved the lion she saw Spock morph into, fearsome as he was majestic.

Blinking up from the ruffled cloth she spotted Spock standing over Rovoc with the face of a demon, grinning down at the terrified Vulcan with her blood staining his teeth

" If you want to indulge in the ancient ways then I will treat you in kind! If you _ever_ cast an eye at she who is my wife again I will have them cast **out** of your _skull_!" he shouted raising his hand with his fingers clawed out like talons.

Rovoc nodded with his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. Nyota tried to summon up pity for the herdsmen but for now it was beyond her. Something dark inside her wanted to see him suffer and even more it wanted her to be the one to do it. It was the thought of what Rovoc might have done to her, made the others do if he had gotten his hands on her that kept her clemency far from her.

Spock lowered his voice once more, taking on a demeanor so disquieting even she had to remind herself that it was just an act. "... and if you ever dare force my hand again and challenge me…"

Spock impaled his fist through the ground near Rovoc's head and left a three inch hole beside him. "...I _will_ make it so you can _never_ do so again...Kal-If-Fee!"

Rovoc's paled but Nyota swooned. Her moran. This is what she wanted in the first place. Why had he just not fought all of them in such a way and not gone the route of such shameful behavior? With Spock so wild eyed and crazed he could have perhaps scared his kinsmen into submission? Nyota pushed the notion from her mind as he growled and removed his foot and let Rovoc join his brothers. For all his acting Spock did not seem sound...or well...and then there was all her misconceptions. If he had jumped one it was possibly that the others would have fought him like a pride, many to one and had done the same with her…

Nyota shivered and held herself as she watched Spock glaring at them. With a ragged exhalation he scolded the group. " _Our_ ways are not the Old ways! Seek out and hold fast to your enlightenment less your _stupidity_ put an end to us all."

He said the last sentence staring at Ovid and T'kell but Havid slipped his gaze. He was staring at Nyota wantonly and took a deep breath in her direction. Nyota hugged her legs to her chest and leaned towards the tree. Heat rushed over her as she remembered he had seen her pleasured by Spock, heard her asking for more as she clutched at his shoulders and it was clear as the sky that he liked what he had seen. Deviant…!

" My wife...attend me."

Nyota shuffled her skirt around but the his seed had wet through a good portion of it. She didn't want them to see…

Before she knew what was happening Spock's arms were around her like strong steely bands of warmth and assurance. As he nuzzled her neck and brushed the tender flesh of her wound she felt her strength falter. She wanted so badly to cry, to rage against them but not in front of them. She did not want them to see her scars...Spock could but only the ones he wanted her to.

" K'diwa?"

" Take me home."

And with a bend to gather her bags and jug Spock did just that.

As he gained some distance between them he pressed Nyota to speak. She did in snippets, too wrapped up in adrenaline and her thoughts to really deal with his guilt over what had transpired.

Where all Vulcans like the ones today. Spock had assured her that they were an offshoot, like junior warriors trying to make themselves out to be great ones that had never been tested by a lion's tooth and claw. The ways that they sought were old and Spock pressed that they would stay that way.

Would Spock when he took her beneath him in their bed...make love to her in the way he faked today. She couldn't know for sure what things would be real and what other things were just an act. She felt excited but overwhelmingly anxious by the prospect. The only knowledge she had gained about sex is that it hurt the first few times and sometimes after that as well. Why would she welcome the pain if they could just do what they did today?

After they finished their discussion Nyota sat quietly in his arms and thought about tomorrow. She was too close to the happenings of the day today for a good perspective...yes, in the morning things would be clearer.

A/N: Chapter 9 is coming along but maybe not by tomorrow we'll see. Thanks for the reviews and continued support of this crazy au. Poor Nyota, trying not to loose herself but fitting against being able to blend herself into the new people. She's having a shit time of things but into each life some rain must fall. Her sun will come out I promise.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Thanks to Dimplz and Yalegirl03 for editing. Any mistakes she see thereafter are my own that I wrote in after the fact because I'm the worst LOL. Chapter 10 coming soon

Nyota sat in the far corner of their bedroom picking bark free from her braids. She looked over the frayed strands and grunted. She would have to do them over again. After all of Spock's rough handling against the tree the day before they were beginning to fuzz at the middles.

Her body shivered in remembrance of the hot press of his cock between her slit. His words had been even hotter. How lewd he had been. She had never witnessed him act so...licentious.

 _Little bird...they want to hear you sing_. Nyota bit her lip as she recalled her own breathy words. He had her moaning them out of her mouth like she was on the verge of dying. The way that Spock had held her, had touched her and, God, the way he had _looked_ at her.

She swallowed as she pictured his dark eyes staring down at her unblinking as he watched her tremble with delight. He had been so pleased by her climax. When he had smoothed his hand across her rear Nyota could feel his desire to give her another. Shamelessly she had wanted the same…

Nyota groaned and threw herself back onto the bed with a heavy thump. Even to her their sexual tension had been more complicated than it needed to be. There were so many things that needed to be addressed, that begged to be said, but how to start?

Not for the first time did Nyota witness firsthand the power that Spock's touch had over her person. How easily they could both fall under the sway of his overwhelming lust and her budding one. It was clear from the way that he had handled her body that he had done such actions before, she thought glumly. She had done nothing to reciprocate the pleasure, just stood there pinned against that tree babbling like a fool. She needed to talk to him and fix all this...

Given the events that preceded this morning, Nyota worried that if she gave in to the sweeping affection she now held for Spock that she'd never tell him anything – her feelings about yesterday, the culling rock or even the feelings she had over the past 7 years.

He had hurt her. Choosing her as his mate had taken so much from Nyota. True, she enjoyed his company and his overtures, but there was a bitterness inside her that had yet to be purged from the cost of their union. That resentment kept her from truly being comfortable with him. She wanted to connect with Spock emotionally. Then maybe the peace she had been seeking would finally settle over her.

Since her arrival, her mind has been a whirlwind, no emotion stayed put and they stirred her violently. Spock had been there for her like a safe haven but Nyota's heart rebuked him. He had been the one to cause the storm. It felt like she had died seven years ago. She was a ghost among the living. Things that she wanted had become sinful.

Even the much needed affection of a friend or family member had transformed into taboos. The irony that the one who took everything away was the only one to console her, burned. She wanted desperately to be free of it.

To love her in the way that she needed, Spock had to know her honestly and not the girl he had become smitten with in the Mara without a single word exchanged between them.

She did not relish the task of discussing such matters but Nyota needed a sense of atonement for what had happened on the Mara both at the culling rock and against the acacia tree.

Nyota put down the braid she was working on and palmed her face. Everything thing felt so unbalanced. It felt like the rains in her heart would never cease their pouring. She would drown if she did not let them out. How would Spock take all that she had to say?

Rubbing her face she groaned and sniffed at the water tickling at her nose. If he did not understand her, love all of who she was, then she would have no one.

As if sensing a peak in her distress Spock appeared in the doorway of their bedroom. He pulled the animal pelt back and entered quietly on silent feet. His silky hair was still tousled from sleep and stuck up like the stiff mane of a zebra. His shoulders were bare of his lounge robe giving Nyota a full view of the tempting pale plane of his stomach and pelvis. She drew her eyes away right before she crossed the deep vee of his waist. It was going to be hard to talk now.

Thank goodness his loincloth was modest. The black material brushed at his ankles. There was no split and the fabric could not be seen through. Nyota eyed the dark cloth with a scene of irony. To the Maasai, black was a beautiful color. It represented their people but on the other hand it also symbolized their struggles. That her husband should be adorned in such a color day in and day out was not lost on her. Today she would take it as a sign to struggle no longer. They would resolve to stabilize their relationship.

With a deep breath Nyota stood up stiffly. Her legs were still heavy from sleep and felt like logs. Tightening the scarf that covered her body Nyota turned to him. "Spock."

He blinked at her slowly and tilted his head to regard her. "Nyota. Are you well? You have remained in bed quite late."

She coughed and smacked her tongue quickly across the roof of her mouth. The dry air in the night had made it feel gummy. The lack of water this morning had only increased the sensation. "I am okay...I...I want to talk with you. Allow me some time to freshen up and make breakfast first if you will?"

"Of course. I was looking forward to one of your meals. I will wait in the dining room," he said simply. It almost felt like he was relieved by her voice. Maybe he had been anxious at her absence and now equipped with an explanation could happily go about his business.

He no doubt had been drinking tea while waiting on her to join him. Nyota still wasn't sure if Vulcan wives woke up and prepared meals like her parent's people had in the morning. Either way she had been trying to adhere to the familiar chore. Since he broached no argument about her fixing meals, Nyota had continued to do so.

She stepped around him and went towards the bathroom with him following closely.

 _He was always so close,_ she thought irritably as she rubbed absentmindedly at the healing scabs at her neck. He was like a hunting hound, always looking for approval or affection from its master. That suffocating mask of need fell over her as the phantom tugging she had felt during her culling nettled at her. She wanted to go to him, rub her face across him but she was trying to go to the bathroom. What was this?

As she fought it and continued it became stronger. Each step forward felt like she was walking through water. Nyota trudged ahead until the feeling stopped her feet altogether. Try as she might she could not go further. It wasn't until Spock walked up behind her that the paralysis ceased. He enveloped her in his arms and pressed her back against his torso. Her breath caught and choked her throat as his skin burned along her own. "Spock, wait…"

Her plea fell on deaf ears as he bent and stroked his hand across her temple, humming at the pulsing energy beneath his fingers.

Nyota's head swooned and throbbed violently. Spock's touch had never affected her in such a way before. His touch had always been warm and welcoming but this pained her like a headache. Her legs threatened to give out just as he pulled her tighter.

Spock seemed so urgent in his caress as he traced the bite wound. The throbbing ache was pulsing now in time with her heart, speeding up and making her faint. _His emotions_ , she thought. They were bogging down her limbs and making her sick. As she tried to push his feelings away, the urgency she felt pelted her. _He needed her, wanted her, why was she holding back_ it seemed to accuse.

Nyota felt her eyes well up from the psionic indictment. She needed him too but not like this, not this painful neediness. She cried out for him to release her. Something inside her was breaking free. "No! Stop it! You always do that!"

Spock startled at her emotional outburst and looked genuinely confused. "What is it I always do?"

Nyota swiped angrily at her eyes and ground her teeth as she sought to calm herself but it was not abated in the least. She was livid. "That thing with your feelings...I don't know how you do it but I can feel you even when you're not touching me! I don't even know what I'm thinking or feeling half the time and then you touch me and I shatter from it!"

"Shatter? I have broken some part of you?"

"Yes, you broke me by bringing me here! Broke my mind with all these _feelings_ and this _lust_ and...and...and _this house_!" she spat banging her hand against the door pelt to the bathroom.

"It's like I am actually your little bird and you've caged me here in this house with your strange love and emotions! Is that what your little bird, your _pi'lara_ is supposed to do for you Spock? Sing my wanton songs as you 'stroke my feathers' inside the cage you've built for me!"

"It is a house. You are my wife, not a bird. You are being illogical."

"What a pretty cage you've made me…" she continued snidely. Bitterness bubbled up inside her like sour bile seeking to escape her mouth. "I couldn't decide if it was to keep those bandit Vulcans out or to trap me inside here with you, but it doesn't matter either way. I'm stuck…"

When she finished speaking Nyota felt nauseated and hot. Why was she so angry that it hurt her stomach? She burped and gave a seething breath through her nose. _Just calm yourself_.

Spock narrowed his eyes and cut Nyota a clear look of annoyance. "Pretty it may be but our home is certainly not a cage."

Nyota turned around violently to face him and shot back a similar glare. "Not a cage? Not a **cage**! I certainly don't remember accepting an _invitation_ on your behalf to live here! What I recall is being left out in the Mara like some sacrificial lamb and you stalking up like a demon but I **know** what you are! You're just using me to ease the pain in your loins and having me house your seed like some concubine! So don't even try for one minute to act as if you did this…" she paused gesturing towards the room and the house itself. "...for us, let alone me!"

Spock closed the distance between them and stared down at her angrily. Nyota looked up at him with equal ire. She refused to be intimidated by his size or nature. She didn't do it with those idiots in the Mara and she wasn't about to do so with this...this...foolish male here. She had never been so angry before, it shook her body like a fever chill as she glared at him. She had meant to talk to him, be sensible and sensitive especially after their behavior yesterday but this odd rage stole her ability to calm herself. It felt like her head was burning!

"You're a horrible husband!" she shouted, balling her fists at her sides. It was the first thing she thought to say. Her fiery indignation at his stupid plan to save them by putting her out on display in front of all those people, with their hungry eyes running over her as he mocked rutting against her that birthed the accusation.

But she was mad at herself too. Mad that she trusted him to have a plan where she didn't have to fake such indecency, mad that he made her feel so good when he did and especially mad that she still felt grateful that they made it out unharmed and with that jackal Rovoc getting socked in the face. Actually, she was also mad that it wasn't her that got to punch him! She couldn't believe her rage!

She growled and Spock leaned back with a livid look of disbelief.

"No, I am not a horrible husband, Nyota."

"Oh Yeah! What are you! My savior? My soulmate? My mgeni master!?"

Spock breathed in through his nose and frowned minutely at her angry, trembling form. "What I am is a husband cuckolded by a figment of my wife's imagination! Asa is not here. Did you ever take the time to think what another male or your highly esteemed Asa would have done in my place if the roles were reversed? What his reaction would have been to you withholding yourself to his touch?"

Nyota ignored his point and fumed over his question. "What!? So I'm supposed to lay down and let you have your way with me just because you've been nice?! I should be _so_ lucky to have a nice guy like _you_ even pay attention to me?!"

Spock turned away from her and then paused. A small expression crossed his face before Nyota was able to read it as he casually tucked his hands behind him. "I suppose you weren't lucky, were you? You wanted the alpha male of your tribe and here you are with a male that's beta at best among his peers. That I am not dark and comely with round ears and sloping brows disgusts you to no end. Aside from my taking you from your home and my gross display of coitus with you on the fields, have I ever mistreated you?"

His words stilled Nyota in her tracks, freezing her hotheadedness like a pail of cold water. "What…?"

Spock circled her slowly with a thoughtful look on his face as he spoke. "I will be clear with you, Nyota. You are upset that you didn't have your pick of the litter. For women in both our worlds this is rarely ever the case. Arranged marriages are the norm and your marriage to me is no different. I care about you, believe my word or not. First about what you need, hence _our_ _house_. Secondly, about what _you_ want, hence this _tedious_ conversation to alleviate your distress about not being with someone that you supposedly loved and my everlasting patience to have you warm to the thought of mating with me."

She crossed her thin arms and across her chest and shifted her weight from one leg to the other. The vexation she felt had weakened in its strength but still raged on as she glanced at his face. She didn't understand her wildness of her crossness but Nyota let it continue to push her further.

"I loved him more than I could ever love you..."

Even as the words left her mouth Nyota felt her heart wanting to put them back. Where had her mind gone? Why was she having such a fit of pique?

"You could love me too..." Spock rebutted, looking at her exasperated face. "Not that you are giving either of us any chance to do so. No, you want to whine and pout and rage against your circumstances. All you want to do is complain about this 'pretty cage' I built when you would rather be housed in familiar cage made by your kinsman."

"A cage is still a cage Spock, even if you want to call it by the name of arranged marriage."

Spock tilted his head with a slight smile to his lips as he walked away. "So be it Nyota. But if our marriage is truly a cage just know that I stand trapped inside along with you as well."

Nyota pursed her lips and growled in frustration as he left from her view. That man was infuriating! Love him? How could she love her jailer? Trapped beside her? Rubbish! She huffed again and went into the kitchen to cook, all the while fuming about how Spock had twisted her words against her.

Nyota rubbed fitfully at her temples, trying to ease the anger that had seized her earlier. It was an irritation like none she had ever experienced before, even during the time before her moon's blood. She had been reticent this morning before his appearance and then as soon as Spock had touched her, Nyota felt her gall awakened and spur her attack on her husband.

 _I would have never thought I would have spoken to my husband that way,_ she thought as she shaped the chapatis for baking. Spock had a right to know her mind but the malice with which she had expressed it was not what he deserved.

Once she finished breakfast she set the table and stared at the rapidly cooling dishes. She started to reach for a chapati but stayed her hand. Her rolling emotions had eaten her hunger and left her feeling numb. Looking about the room Nyota decided to explore a bit and find a space to relax herself.

As Nyota wandered throughout the house for a suitable spot, she was both relieved and saddened by Spock's absence. Maybe she was pushing him away simply because he was the only one here to care for her.

Her _kakukira_ (Maa for grandmother) said that people did not all grieve the same when they lost something or someone. "Some drink. Others work. There are those who eat to soothe the ache in their belly but they all have one of two reactions to people. They either push away or draw closer, but their pain is hard for others to tolerate. When your _nkoko_ (grandfather) passed, I was so desperate to be with others. The air of my loneliness was hard for others to breathe, but my depression made me oblivious to the noxiousness around me. It wasn't until your mama embraced me for close to an hour did I break and let the flood of my heart rain out from my eyes for my lost love. I had to be reminded that I was not alone, though my mind would let me think it."

By the time she reached the rock rooms of the cavern, Nyota was actively shouting for Spock. "Spock! Spock, please! Answer me, please!"

Nyota was still livid but solely at herself now. She wasn't going to spend a lifetime being lonely and angry because Spock couldn't see eye to eye with her after all her shouting at him. In a (small) bit of fairness to him, he had been very generous with the space he gave her, only touching her person when necessary and to hold her in his arms at night. She did not mind either situation and would probably be willing for more physical contact like their time against the tree but…

"Spock? Spock, _du-wilat_ (where are you)?" she called in Vulkunsu. When he didn't answer after a few more tries she gave up her search inside and went to find her mate outdoors. At the threshold of their hut, Spock's silky indoor robe hung on the bushbuck hooks he fashioned from the remains of an antelope. Looking outside, Nyota was greeted with the sight of rippling grass, grazing zebra and a small herd of gemsbok passing through the area. Spock was nowhere to be found.

 _Maybe he was herding, trying to clear his mind of all her raging towards him_ , she mused heading out the door and towards the garden he had shown her. It was full of rooibos bushes and she wanted to collect some to dry out for tea. She did not blame him and hoped that was the case he was out clearing his mind with the cattle. Maybe when he came home she would make him fresh tea and reheat their breakfast and set the stage for her apology.

As Nyota neared the manicured garden she shed the sash hanging at her waist and fashioned the material into a makeshift cloth basket. She took a deep breath and sighed at the sweet, earthy scent of the growing red bush leaves. The plants were not native to Kenya but enough people had bartered and traded for the herb that they could be found easily enough to make one's own garden.

Setting down her sash, Nyota first checked for snakes and then for scorpions. Both creatures were known to bite at eager, careless hands. With the plants and ground clear of danger, Nyota pulled out a larger cutting knife and started freeing the bush of its branches. As she worked, Nyota made sure to leave a few so the plant could survive and continue to grow. She pruned the plants until her cloth was full but still able to be fastened onto her back.

 _Hopefully Spock will be home when I get back and everything will be fixed, he has not left me,_ she thought as she secured her bundle. Trekking back home Nyota took her time by taking a long way around. Walking behind the mesa, she leisurely padded through the bush and took in the sunshine, stopping every now and then to gather any herbs or flowers useful for medicine or sweet for chewing.

Halfway home a dark black cloth caught her eye. Coming closer she saw that it was Spock's shuka (torso scarf). Looking about, Nyota didn't see where he was but he had to be nearby. Something in her mind made her sense could almost feel him.

Honing in on the sensation, Nyota pushed her way through the brush and bramble and sought out the Vulcan.

Making her way through the brush, Nyota sighed as she thought of her family. She could almost hear her Baba's voice scolding her as she ducked under a low lying branch.

When she had argued with her Mama, sisters and later the shaman teaching her Mgeni, her father would often take her aside and give her a good talking to. His family had come from the northlands and had lived closer to a country she had yet to see. His hair had been straighter and skin darker than most of the village and he also knew languages and sayings that she had yet to understand. One of them came to her now as she looked for Spock and she could still remember the day that her Baba pressed it to her in a stern bellowing.

"Nyota, if you can't resolve your problems with peace then you cannot solve them with war," she recalled aloud. She had a chance for happiness after so much heartache but constantly blaming the one person who was trying to make her happy had not helped. Yes, he was aggravating to debate with and today he was far from sympathetic to her plight but she wasn't a timid field mouse herself when it came to arguments.

 _We just need time to find a rhythm and comfort around each other too and then we can have some peace,_ she reasoned, pushing back on some stubborn weeds as she trailed forward. She came into this family as an unsettled foundation, but with a little less pressure put on his blood fever and more time put towards shared relaxation was sure to have bred a bit of discontentment, right?

As she closed in on the clearing, the gut feeling pulsed in her belly and made her take a look to her right. Moving over in that direction, Nyota did eventually find Spock in the clearing but not how she expected to find him.

Spock was face down on a large boulder with his head turned away from her. Nyota felt her face grow hot as she realized he had stripped himself naked as she caught sight of his bare bottom. He must have come out here to sun and fallen asleep in the heat. She dipped behind a large rock and hissed a curse as his head rolled towards her with a wide-mouth yawn.

She didn't want to be seen gawking at his state of undress, even if he was her husband! Spock probably wouldn't let her live it down if he caught her looking, even if he didn't question her about it. She should leave before he woke up to find her fanning her face over his nudity.

Gathering her courage, Nyota peeped over the top of the rock and gave a heavy sigh of relief. He still seemed to be dozing as his torso gently rose and fell in a rhythmic beat. His eyes were half-lidded with the cloudy nictitating membranes slipping over from the sides like they did when he blinked slowly.

She had never seen him so at ease. Despite his obvious alien appearance Spock looked natural reclined there on the rock. It felt like the Mara had thought so as well, blessing his presence with the heat of the sun and the lack of animal hostility. The wind ruffled his hair and drew Nyota's eyes over to his face.

Free of his dark-eyed stare, Nyota studied her husband for the first time as he slept. The sharp ridge of his cheekbones accentuated the flare of his brows in a way that made him look severe if not oddly attractive.

She was still unsure how to feel about his ears as they still reminded her of a caracal's. Nyota did not want to think about him having the qualities of a beast, he was human...err at least human somewhat in appearance and nature and comparing him to an animal seemed belittling. Rubbing at the mark that his teeth had left on her neck though reminded her that he was like the big cat in more ways than one.

Thinking of his mouth, she glanced at his slightly parted lips and remembered what they felt like on her skin. Hot, full and incredibly soft, the brush of them against her tendon had made her shudder in his hold and not from fear.

Nyota hadn't dwelt on it then but as he stood there biting and licking her neck tenderly, it had both frightened and thrilled her.

Too emotionally overwrought and angry at the time, Nyota had failed to see how she lucked out – not only in Spock's gentile nature but his handsome appearance as well. Hmm handsome wasn't the right word. He was definitely masculine but in a sublime sense the word. For her, Spock was still too otherworldly to attach such common definitions of aesthetics to.

All in all, he was really quite stunning...not that she would ever admit it...

Nyota felt her face grow hotter as her eyes took in more of his body.

Something similar to what she felt when Asa had touched her arm with his hand and left it there welled up inside her. A fluttering at her heart and a drop in her belly followed by a loss of breath. An urge to caress herself between her legs tickled at her fingers as Spock rolled over onto his back exposing his cock.

Nyota gasped aloud but quickly clapped her hands over her mouth to smother the noise. She had no idea that he was so...umm…like a man.

Their encounter at the tree had hidden their sexes both from the others and themselves as Spock ruffled the fabrics just so to shield the true nature of what they were doing. Nyota had nothing more to go on than what he had felt like, which was not much, but now Spock was spread before her like a sunning cat sprawled out on its back.

Her eyes darted back and forth from the surrounding shrubs and back to his groin in embarrassment. As her shock died down and her curiosity grew, Nyota took longer and longer glances at the Vulcan's lap.

At its root it was dark green like fresh acacia leaves and thick and long like its branches. While she was relieved to see that it was in a similar shape as a man's, there were ridges that she hadn't remembered seeing on the men bathing at the river. There was a medial ring like that of a zebra stud followed closely by smooth slender bumps near the base of his shaft. When he shifted his weight and it twitched against his thigh, Nyota ripped her eyes away from him with a sneer on her face.

 _What a ghastly looking member_ , she thought in horror. There was no way any of that was coming near her again if she had any say! How was it even going to fit?! She had seen her mound's entrance reflected in her bathwater and did not see how such a small hole could even begin to take in such a big shaft.

Nyota was giving him one last peek before she tried to sneak her way back towards the house when she heard a spine tingling growl sound behind her. Slowly she turned and was met with the gold green eyes of a large leopard.

She stared at the cat in wide eyed terror. Her body went still while her heart fled without her. "Olowuaru (Maa for leopard)…" she mouthed silently.

It growled again and padded closer, stalking toward her with a wide mouth snarl. Her bladder threatened to empty as the predator closed the distance between them in a matter of seconds.

Nyota whimpered at the cool, airy puffs of its breaths as it bellowed against her face. "Oh God…"

Nyota knew from the elders that a leopard that was hungry would have pounced on her by now without her knowing what was happening until it was too late. Perhaps she and Spock had frightened him by invading his territory.

Nyota was good with a knife but bare of her short spear. Her measly garden knife was no match for the big cat's claws and teeth. If she could it would be best to slink down and away.

She started to reach for the blade when the leopard hissed loudly at her slow, sudden movement. She licked her lips and weighed calling out for Spock. Would yelling provoke the cat to violence or scare him away?

She was just about to try when a lean blur flew over her head and onto the snarling creature. In her moment's hesitation, Spock had pounced the cat and subdued the large feline down to the ground in a headlock. Her husband groaned and strained to hold it still but the cat fought to free itself from Spock's steely arms.

Furious and scared, the leopard yowled at the Vulcan, trying in vain to buck free of the alien's grip. Nyota could tell from the look on his face that the cat was pulling no punches with its strength. When the leopard paused in its flailing, Spock freed one of his arms from the hold and used it to align his hand across its face. Sensing an opening, the cat tilted its weight and struck Spock in a series of swipes. Two of them connected and left Spock a set of long, green lines running down his side.

Spock snarled in pain and growled at the leopard beneath him. As Nyota took in the scene it was like Spock had morphed back into the beast. Each of them growled and hissed at the other in their game of submission. "Spock, be careful!"

Nostrils flaring, Spock wedged his fingers against the fuzzy face of the predator. Closing his eyes, Spock concentrated on its mind. A second later the spitting cat, growling back at the Vulcan, stilled and gave a tired groan.

Aloud Spock spoke to the cat and loosened his hold on its neck. "I don't mean to harm you. You threatened my mate. I answered your fright with equal...alarm that you could have hurt her. Please go and leave us in peace. We'll leave you to your land and you will leave us to ours."

Another groan like yowl left the leopard's mouth and Spock hummed in understanding. "No, we will not encroach on your hunting ground nor threaten your offspring. I do not consume meat and my mate has lessened her intake. We have no interest in your pelt or your blood, you are free to live."

An odd cooing sound followed by a long slow blink and sniff at Nyota left the leopard and Spock huffed in response. "She does not wish to breed yet, so she's clear of my scent and offspring. That's truly none of your business."

The leopard huffed through his nose and closed its eyes. Moments later Spock hemmed and hawed and shot Nyota a glance. "Maybe you are correct in your observation. I have yet to employ that approach."

Nyota furrowed her eyes in disbelief and shook her head in shock. "Wait...is the leopard giving you advice?"

Spock nodded and shut his eyes again. "Yes and I find it to be quite sound. Thank you."

The leopard chuffed and slipped free of Spock's hold. He slunk forward and gave Spock a polite but generous headbutt before heading back towards the brush. With a quick scent mark, the big spotted cat disappeared into the copse as quickly as he appeared.

Nyota sat there staring vacantly at the clearing until Spock's hand on her shoulder jolted her from her shock. He was watching her intently and looking her over for injuries. "Did he hurt you?"

She shook her head but choked out a sob. "You're...hurt. Your side…"

With a suddenness that surprised them both Nyota leaned over and embraced him tightly.

"I was so scared!" she trembled as the stress of the past four days came crashing down on her. She wanted so badly to be held that he couldn't keep her from him.

Spock hugged her back. His nudity was forgotten as she cried fitfully into his shoulder.

Uncertain of how best to comfort her Spock spoke his mind. "I was uncertain if the leopard had maimed you. I could only feel your terror."

Nyota drew back and looked at his face. "You could feel my emotions even though you weren't touching me?"

Spock nodded and wiped at her tears. "They woke me from my slumber."

Nyota dropped her gaze as she pondered this new information. "What else can you feel from me?"

"Can feel or did feel?" he asked cryptically.

Nyota blushed at his reply as she was sure he had felt her lust and disgust from earlier. "I'm sorry...I...I'm going back home."

"I shall escort you." He said rising up from where he was crouching. Nyota shied away from looking at his nude form and moved to gather her tea bundle when he caught her hand.

"Spock!"

"Do you find my body distasteful, Nyota?" he said cutting his eyes at her face. "Am I too foreign looking for you to see me as handsome?"

"Spock, please, you... I...this isn't the best time."

"Is there ever such a time?"

She made a choking noise and fell back down towards the ground. Spock looked on in horror as her face morphed from sadness to woe and broke down in a rushing tide of tears. "Nothing's the same. I can't do anything!"

Spock looked down at her with concern marring his features. "Nyota…"

She wailed into the air and let her depression move through her. "I can't do anything right! I don't know what I'm doing and you...you confuse me so much with your words and affections but I want you. I just...I don't know anything anymore!"

Spock cradled her small frame against him and sigh. "Oh K'diwa...no."

"I just...I just can't forget them, forget any of my past. I'm sorry…"

Spock clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and blinked at her lovingly.

"I do not require that you forgot anything, Nyota, but I do think it behooves you to move forward from your past. Do not cast your love for your family aside but do not keep your love for them from the possibility of loving me."

"But I do...care for you...I just I feel so crazed right now that I don't even feel love for myself! I'm just...I don't know...I'm so scared of this!" she sniffled to herself in hiccuping sobs. "You should have chosen someone else, someone more brave...I'm sorry…I don't think I can do this! I can't! I'm not enough for you. I'm so scared!"

Through it all, Spock remained stone faced as ever, seemingly unaffected by the grand show of emotion. When she paused with a ragged breath, Spock braced a hand at her back and butted his forehead against hers. " _Bolau tu shom_ (You need rest)."

"I need to talk with you! I...I can't…I'm not strong enough!" she hiccuped.

"We will talk. Allow me take you home," he offered again, scooping her up by her bottom. He lifted her as easy as a man would a babe and settled her weight in his arms. She cried despite the comfort it gave her. Finally given a voice, her sadness ravaged her. She didn't know how long she had wailed against him but they were home in the bathroom before she calmed a bit.

Spock was stripping her of her dress. Nyota sat numbly on the lip of the tub with her feet dangling above the floor. She didn't really know nor did she care why he took her clothing. She was tired of being frightened and if he wished her bare bodied so be it.

Spock pulled her up to her feet and peeled her dress over her bottom down onto the floor. Her arms went to his shoulders to steady herself as she stepped out of the pool of fabric. "Are you going to mate with me now?" she sniffed.

"Do you want to mate now?" he asked. He looked up from his position on the floor and blinked at her curiously.

"No."

The anxious excitement she saw in his face left his eyes as he smoothed his features further. "Then no, we will not. Wait here," he ordered rising up from the floor. She hugged her arms over her breasts and hunched against the cool air.

Spock went about filling the tub and heating the stones below it. She watched him with sleepy eyes as he went about fetching a thick shaving of soap and a cloth for toweling off. "Who is going to bathe first?"

"We shall bathe together."

She ripped her gaze from the filling tub back to his face. "Together? Why together?"

He blinked at her mildly as he tore a small scrap of cloth from a larger rag. "For various reasons but primarily to get clean."

"What are the other reasons?" she prodded. Spock turned to face her and came towards her. Nyota stumbled backwards as he caught her about the waist and picked her up.

"One reason is to give us a forum in which to talk."

She swallowed and allowed him to bring them both into the water. It was just above lukewarm now but welcomed none the less as he lowered them into the interior. Nyota sighed and took a ragged breath. Spock watched her with large unblinking eyes as he retrieved the soap and torn rag. "What are you scared of Nyota?"

She wiped at her nose and looked down into the water. Her braids floated out about them like vines. Nyota pulled one that was sticking to her arm and avoided his gaze. "I'm scared of you."

"What is it about me that scares you?"

"A lot...your looks. They're not disgusting to me...just very...I'm not used to them. And sometimes when you look at me, it makes me afraid because I don't know what you're thinking…"

"Hmm," he commented with a nod. "My lack of facial expression upsets you."

"Yes and your...umm some of your features are quite fearsome."

"What else troubles you, _pi'lara_?"

She studied his hands as he worked the soap into a lather on the cloth and relaxed further. "I don't think…," she started before swallowing her words away.

What she was about to admit was not an issue she wanted to tackle today. She glanced down through the water at his cock and sharply looked away. Later she consoled herself and moved onto another subject.

"I was trained to be your wife but I no longer feel confident that I know what to do," she sniffled. She ran her hands over her face and groaned. "I don't know anything about your people that isn't skewed somehow by my people. I almost got myself ra...hurt...by your kinsmen."

Spock ticked his head to the side and leaned towards her. "That, K'diwa, was not your fault. I should not have taken you near them. I did not know that they were so far gone but I had my suspicions. I apologize. I wanted to see you happy and did not want to deny you such a small thing as seeing our herd."

She absorbed his words and nibbled over her lip. "I was so mad this morning. I'm sorry."

"The anger was not your own," he said. Nyota eyed him suspiciously as he put the cloth down next to her.

"What was do you mean?"

Spock swallowed and shivered against the water. It still felt cold to him. "When I touched you this morning...before that evening, I felt drawn to you. My want to be near you drew you to me and my _pon farr_ happened to transfer in part to you when I touched your face."

" _Pon farr_?"

Spock sighed and caressed her face. "You are right, they did not tell you much, did they? I will rectify that however."

"You will?"

He nodded with a slight smile of his eyes. "We will travel to the Vulcan compound and there you will meet with the bonded wives. They will help you and thus help us. Any questions you have about being bonded to a Vulcan husband, being a wife and _pon farr_ they will answer."

Nyota nodded with visible relief. Humans. She would be around humans again! She was just about to put her braids up away from the water when he took her hand. "Spock?"

"We need to work on your fear as well."

"What?"

Spock took the soapy cloth and placed it in her hand. "Bathe me."

Nyota took the cloth and looked at him curiously. "How is this going to help?"

"You will touch me and see that you have nothing to fear. Touch me as you wish and I will stay my person. Explore what frightens you and see its true nature."

Nyota sat in the tub looking back from the cloth to his face. The nature of what exactly? His ears? His pale green skin? He himself? Could she examine the parts and embrace the whole? At this point there was no harm in trying.

"Okay…but be still."

"Yes."

Nyota wrung the cloth and kneeled closer to where Spock was waiting patiently. Giving him a quick once over as she worked up her courage Nyota thought it best to go for his face. She wrapped the cloth around her open hand and took another deep breath. "...Okay…"

The first touch landed on his cheekbone. Nyota ran the cloth timidly over the sharp curve of it and watched for his reaction. Spock merely shut his eyes and turned into it.

She relaxed her fingers on the cloth and choose what to touch next when she was struck again by his elegance. Otherworldly, yes. Chill inducing, some times. But he was undeniably handsome and not just as a Vulcan. She just hadn't taken much time to relax and truly take him in. "How was that?"

"Short. Are you alleviated of your fear?"

Umm…" she hummed.

"I would say try for a longer session."

Nyota swiped across his cheek again and then along his jaw. From there her hand traced up behind his ear and over its point. Spock did as promised though she could feel his weight slightly leaning into her hand as she went.

Nyota continued her exploration of his face, using her other hand to touch him skin to skin. Spock had more trouble sitting still when the pad of her finger came gently sweeping across his brow. His breath caught and his mouth hung open. Back and forth over the line she went before skimming down the bridge of his nose. She giggled as Spock sniffed and snuggled into the palm of her hand. "You're not being still at all."

"On the contrary I am being quite disciplined. Your finger's touch is so light and delicate that it has been tickling me to no end."

Nyota pursed her lips with a smile and washed at the hair lining his chest. "All I hear are excuses…be still."

"Explanations is more apt."

"Shush, you."

He gave one slight raise of his brow and straightened up his posture. "Very well."

Nyota nodded smugly and started to actually wash him. His skin was unusually hot and warmed her hand as she ran the soapy rag over him. Nyota paused as she ran some of the water over the soap with her hand and studied the water beading across him. She scooped another handful and tried again was amazed. "Your skin is like a duck's feathers."

"Hmm we are both oily and possess no sweat glands."

"You do not sweat."

"It is dangerous to do so in the desert. We have very little water on Vulcan and more than enough heat to dehydrate Earth twice over."

"Tell me about Vulcan."

"Very well."

Nyota washed him halfheartedly as she listened enraptured of the story of Vulcan and her people. It was only Spock's hiss that shook her from his words. "What is it?"

Spock held his side and removed his hand with a deep rumble in his chest. "My injuries from earlier. They did not trouble me so much until they were touched directly."

"Oh goodness I wasn't paying attention! Are you okay?" she sputtered, holding the cloth up contritely.

Spock brushed his hands over the water to wash away the dark green stain and nodded. "They need to be washed. Leopard's claws are not so hygienic that I could risk not cleaning it. Please do so."

Nyota bit her lip and looked from his wound back to his face. "Okay, but I'm sorry if I hurt you."

"If not you then I would be hurting myself. Please, continue."

Nyota retrieved the soap and worked up a fresh lather on the washrag. Spock's nose flared slightly at the scent but otherwise remained still. Going at gently as she could, Nyota pressed the sudsy cloth to the top of the scratch marks. Spock growled and Nyota startled at the sound.

She nearly flinched away her hand until he caught it with his own and held it to his side.

He took a shaky breath and blinked rapidly. "My apologies. I do not have as much control as I do normally."

"You're losing your control? Why?"

Spock looked down at the water with a repentant air about him before he finally answered. "It is something I wish the bonded humans to speak with you about. We do not speak of it."

Nyota shook her head and narrowed her eyes in confusion. "This seems like something I should know about. Like if you're losing control would you attack me?"

Spock's head snapped up in clear umbrage at her question. "Absolutely not."

Nyota stilled at his words and tilted her head to regard him. "Strange. I...I feel like you've told me that before."

Spock's face flushed and he tremored visibly in the water. "Please, excuse me."

"Spock? Spock where are you go– "

Nyota gasped against her fingers as Spock stood and exited the water. With one look it was clear to see what ailed him and Nyota bit fitfully at her lip as he left the bathroom in search of a place to relieve his stiffness.

She felt silly and extraneous as she sat there alone in the tub. She should be helping him with that as a wife aids her husband and vice versa. The sight alone however, had her mind reeling back in anxiety as its girth and length came face to face with her when he stood. If she had been sitting straight instead of leaning back against the bath wall it would have brushed against her face. Her hand rose and chased away the phantom caress.

As she got out from the water to towel off, Nyota noted the snarling noises from their bedroom. She toweled off slowly, not anxious to see what Spock was doing. Her sex clenched hollowed at the memory of walking in on him before. Against her will, her body dampened and drew her nipples tight. She was ready, more than ready to take him physically but her mind felt stuck like a lame bull. It would go only a few steps forward before floundering again in pain. She had to speak with her bonded sisters before she grew to her wits end.

Nyota reclined against the tub and sighed at the heat of the water. It felt good after the long cry she had earlier. Relaxing in the hot water, tightly bunched muscles loosened and relaxed. Spock was definitely right about needing to rest. If she wasn't careful she'd fall asleep.

Leaving the bathroom she padded quietly to the bed and stopped at the sight that greeted her. Spock was there, bare and reposed. He was sleeping but it looked restless as the pale blue lantern light highlighted him in the darkness.

 _Nighttime already…?_

His hand was wrapped tightly around his member and it was...

"Oh my god…" she said turning away and going to the living room. How was she supposed to sleep next to him like that?!

She rubbed at her burning cheeks when she heard the rustling sound of fabric behind her. Panicked Nyota ran back towards the bathroom when Spock's arms caught her about the waist. "Ah!"

"Nyoootaa," he rumbled with a purr, nuzzling his face against her neck. She swallowed and kicked at the air as his hand snaked down between her sex.

"Spock! Ah, ah!" she gasped as the crush of his lust slammed up against her clit from his fingers.

The Vulcan cupped her weeping sex and while nudging at the small bud. Purring against her skin, Spock scraped his teeth across it. " _T'nash veh_ …( Mine)"

Nyota nodded incoherently as the meaning of his words slipped over her. She liked this touch, had been thinking about it since their time at the tree and was hard pressed to say no to anything feeling so good.

" _Sos estuhl du veh?...la'_ ( May I touch you?...here?)" he asked roughly, dipping the tip of his finger into her heat. She nodded again, clawing at his thighs. She just wanted him to continue.

Drawing the wet finger back Spock rubbed back and around her clit. Nyota bucked back against him and moaned loudly. His fingers felt differently, hotter almost. As he started circling the nub, she pushed back heartily against him. It was good, _this was good_ , she thought as she felt her sex coiling with pressure at his touch.

Nyota felt the hot length of him wedged hotly between her cheeks. She wouldn't be passive this time she thought as she rubbed back against him. Nyota wiggled her rear and grinned naughtily as she felt Spock groan against her neck.

" _Ha, pi' T'Priah...weh_ … (Yes, little goddess, more)". Spock nibbled at her shoulder and quickened his strokes.

Nyota shook her head fitfully as she felt the pressure start to ebb. No, she wanted it! Where was her pleasure going? She whimpered and rocked against his hand and chased after it. "Spock…!"

He bit at her shoulder and pinched at her flesh. A flare of energy sparked at her center and jerked her in his arms. She teared up and came with a gush across his fingers as he continued to strum against her.

" _Va'ashiv!_ (Again)" he snarled and she sobbed as her body obeyed his hand again. And again. And once more after.

He purred below her ear and she felt her spine tingle at the sensation. _Predator! Run!_ it screamed at her mind as he licked again at the wound. Her body however was pleased with the sound and even more with his tongue.

Nyota hung there limp and panting in his arms. She was spent but need still batted at her. She needed more. Crushing her tighter to his chest Spock lifted Nyota up above his member. He released her shoulder with a wet lick. "Spock, please…"

Spock paused in laving her wound and hummed. " _Du pok_ (you are ready)."

Nyota felt the bell flare of his cock's head rub at her folds and surge inside her.

Nyota gasped and sat up with a start. Panting, she searched the room for her whereabouts. She shivered and looked down at the now cold water below. She had fallen asleep in the tub. Nyota groaned and looked down at her sex. There she found her fingers warm and nestled inside her.

It had been a dream.

Nyota sighed and removed her hand from between her legs. As she toweled, off the sensations of her dream lingered over her. They needed to go to the women as soon as possible lest she lose her mind along with her mate.

Wrapped in the cloth, she walked softly towards the bedroom. The noonday air felt cool to her pruned skin. She hadn't been in the water that long then, she thought. She needed to reheat their food for lunch and start preparing for their departure. She did not want to be under such delusions any longer than she had to.

Drawing back the curtain, Nyota was shocked still. There, just as in her dream was Spock nude and splayed across their bed. And just as he had been in the dream, Spock's hand was at his stiffness with the addition of a sticky belly.

She did not turn and run as he woke from her presence. Their eyes met and from his gaze she realized something. The dream was not wholly her own. Just as with his anger, Spock's lust had taken a hold of her warped her perception. How much had she seen versus how much he had envisioned? Could it be that she had just been a bystander of his dream or that this weird bond between them had her sharing fantasies?

"Nyota...I…" he started with a furious blush.

She shook her head feebly and smiled weakly. "We leave for your village tomorrow."


	10. Chapter 10

Spock caught her near the door entrance rebraiding her hair. The front of her head was braided towards the crown and she was now working her way back. She was humming a tune he was unfamiliar with. Occasionally she would sing a few words on a part she particularly liked, warming his adoration.

It was a glimpse of the Nyota of old, back from when she wore her hair shorn low with a beaded fringed headdress. She'd walk about with the other girls, singing like a honey seeker draped in black. She was enchanting now as she was then.

After a few minutes of studying her hair, Spock noticed the pattern she was weaving into it. It was a pattern worn by juniors during celebration times. Nyota was efficient at her work, wasting no effort with every movement of her hands. She would dab her finger into the thick buttery paste she stored in a bowl and stroked the solid oil mixture into her sectioned hair from root to tip. Once she had worked her way through any knots that had formed from prolonged wear, she started to knit the strands together.

As she sang while slowly parting and detangling the sections, the scent of whatever flower she used to perfume the paste wafted through the air. He struggled to pick the smell apart but even with his human genes his poor sense of smell inherited by his father's people overruled the ability to do so. He cleared his nose with a quiet snort and went back to observing his wife.

The process reminded Spock of basket weaving with so few references to base her work on. This was just as much if not more artfully crafted. When she turned her head, he could tell that she had laid out a pattern of curves in the front that her flat twists and braids followed.

As Spock looked at her contentedly humming at her task, he knew he had chosen wisely.

He stepped out from around the corner and came forward to greet her. "Nyota. Thank you for lunch. The chapati was exceptional."

She glanced back and gave him a wide closed mouth smile as she continued to braid. "Good afternoon. Did you set out the bags for packing?"

He nodded but answered all the same. "I did." She hummed happily and thanked him in Swahili.

After a few beats he spoke again. "I am curious, is it not a custom of your men to get their hair braided as well?"

She gave made a gesture with her shoulders and gave him a head nod that was mixed with a shake. "Yes, but more so for the young warriors. Once they become junior warriors during their initiation ceremony, they grow their hair long. Their mothers or girlfriends tend to it. They train and work for seven years before having to go into another rites of passage to become senior warriors. Then after adulthood is confirmed by the elders, they sheer it all off."

Spock's head tilted at the mention of a seven year process into adulthood. It did not sound all that different from his own _enok-kal fi-lar and mok farr_ (Survival training and animal melding: a reminder that raw emotions must be mastered and the land/life must be respected).

"It is very reminiscent of our own ways."

Nyota grabbed another section of hair and inclined her head towards him. "Really? You have rites of your own?"

He nodded and sat down near her. As he settled he was careful to not touch her skin or breathe too deeply. Being too close might set off another bout of uncontrollable lust. He was strong but he was not invincible against her allure or his biology. Once comfortable he began his explanation.

"Vulcan males and females alike depart their homes and live out in the bush for a fortnight at the age of ten years. When we find our way and place in nature, we return home as _V'tosh Terra_ (A Vulcan of Earth). It is one of many bonds we establish over the course of our lives."

"Is it the most revered? Among your people?" she asked.

Spock shook himself and blinked. He had been busy staring at her that he almost missed her words. "No...not the most but it is one of four primary bonds."

He held up his hand as he counted them off. "One to your _mehklar_ (parents) at your birth. Second to your _solektra_ (land) at during _enok-kal fi-lar_. Third to your _katelau_ (mate) in _kal'i'farr_ (marriage) and lastly to your _kanlar_ (children) at their birth. There is also the bonding to your people but it is a very difficult bond to forge here away from the bulk of our population but if in deep meditation I can feel the sons and daughters of Vulcan."

Spock gazed from his hand to her face and was pleased to see her open interest. "What else is there?"

He tilted his head and recalled his memory. "Seven summers after my _enok-kal fi-lar_ ,I was finally granted permission for _Kan-Telan_ (a bond for marriage). It is not performed here as it is on Vulcan. A healer would have bonded us both together through a joint touch. On Terra...I had to do so by myself."

Nyota paused briefly in her braiding and watched his face as he recalled the time. It was a memory that he wish she could revel in as well but he did not know how Nyota would take learning that he had erased it. Nyota was smart, strong and resilient but the effects of his pon farr made her emotional state fragile.

The _yamareen_ (a hormone produced during pon farr) coursing through his blood was wearing down on him as well. The urge to mount her was ever present and his heartbeat had grown unsteady. His time, whether he wanted it to or not, was coming soon.

He held firm on his position to not inform Nyota of his dilemma. At the utterance of his possible death by fever Nyota may feel pressured into mating with him in an odd sort of coercion. The news shouldn't be her motivation so much as her heart. Spock wanted her under him as a willing wife and not a simpering bride.

But how much longer did they have for such things?

"What else?"

Nyota's voice recaptured his attention and soothed his growing anxiety. He did not want to die but he wanted...no needed her acceptance. He was not Sarek and he would not be burdened by the sins of his father.

"Having performed _Koon ut la_ (adolescent mate bonding), I was seen as a betrothed male of my people. I then set out to make our home, raise and breed cattle for your bride price and make myself respectable."

He left out any mention of _pon farr_ (Time of mating or Mating time). The human wives had to have a gentler way of expressing the mindless need to mate. Now with another seven years passed, that rite was about to be made, one that would bring them closer and possibly the blessing of _kanlar_. Or spell their ruin.

Spock gave a slight nod his chin towards her hair as he tilted his head. It was time to change the subject. "You have kept your hair long unlike the other women of your people. Is it because I marked you?"

She nodded with a small smile and a sniff of laughter. "Yes, once you did I was seen as a female warrior of my village, 'fighting' off the Mgeni from my sisters."

"How goes your fight against the Mgeni?" he inquired.

Nyota snorted and rolled her eyes. "It is wrought with long suffering and non-stop tactical warfare."

Spock blinked at her slowly in amusement. "Ah, you suffer. Of that I have no doubt. They are quite adept I have heard. You have chosen an extremely clever people to wage war against."

Dabbing her finger in the shea butter mixture once more, she started on a new braid. Only a few more and she'd be done. Nyota shrugged coyly with a smile. "Be that as it may, their warriors have many weaknesses…"

"Such as?" Spock asked, leaning in. She was so beautiful. He longed to touch her, kiss her but didn't want to break the spell of accord that had fallen between them.

Nyota pursed her lips and pushed her shoulders down and back. Looking up at him from under her lashes she smiled enigmatically. "Self-confidence to the point of arrogance for one."

Spock lifted his eyebrow in surprise. "Is that so?"

"Ohhhh yes...very self-assured and covetous. They want everything that the Maa and Bantu have," she said with a knowing smirk.

Spock let her gloat and enjoyed her smile. There was no offense where none was taken. He wanted her and had taken her so he could hardly argue otherwise.

Spock reached out and carefully took one of the thin braids between his fingers. "You stated that the girlfriends of the junior warriors would sometimes braid their hair...have you ever done so?"

Nyota turned her face away and gave the plait she was working on more attention than was needed. "Yes…"

He felt himself blink at her answer and felt a wave a jealousy swell in his chest. "Did you enjoy styling his hair...this...other male?"

At the mention of another male Nyota huffed and glared at him. "I did all of this before I was marked and yes I enjoyed it because it was _fun_! Flirty and innocent!"

Chastened, Spock nodded and lowered his gaze along with his ire. He had to remember was she was more than what he made me her out to be, more than anyone made her to be. Nyota was her own person and at one point, sought to make herself an integral part of her community. That meant courting and cementing the relationship with the warrior that her parents would have either booked for her to marry or had come courting her via her father. She had only been doing what was nurtured into her by her family.

Had he not bonded to her and drawn his family's sigil outside her mother's hut, she most likely would have become that warrior's bride. Nyota would have helped his mother in the construction of her home and helped raise her sister's kids alongside her own. She would have had a family by blood and by kindred spirit.

But he took that from her when she stole his adoration.

As much as he'd have liked to believe himself altruistic when it came to Nyota, Spock knew it to be untrue. He would like to say he would have spared her, if he knew the sacrifice of all things considered but he knew his nature of a Vulcan and that of their love.

Engulfment had seized him from the moment he saw Nyota singing as she tended to her chores and younger cousins. He could feel his mind pushing and extending to greet her. It wanted nothing more than to bind her to himself, keep her as his own. Little did Nyota know how much she had truly described his greed in loving her. With her there was no logic, only an irrational need to possess her and be possessed.

He sighed and rubbed at the physical ache of it in his sides. He would not judge her past or take offense at it. The present and future were his author. Watching her finish her last braid, Spock prodded her with another question.

"Would you care to dress my coiffure?"

Nyota looked up from sealing her bowl and gave him an incredulous look. "You want me to braid your hair?"

"Am I not your warrior to dote on?"

Nyota hid her smile behind her hand and laughed at his deadpan expression. "Yes you are my _moran_ but you are no junior. If anything I should shave your hair down."

"Why is that?" he asked fingering through her braids as she gathered her hair supplies.

"Well," she started as she drew away from him and put away the kit. "Senior warriors go through a process of proving their bravery to pass into adulthood. They typically do this by slaying a lion but you subdued a leopard. It is not such a small feat that I wouldn't say you weren't a moran. A good standoff is where beast and man both live to see the next day."

"You believe me to be brave?"

She nodded earnestly as she washed her hands in the basin. "Why yes of course, my leopard tamer."

He huffed and turned to face her. "There is one leopard left that I have yet to tame."

Nyota shook her head and made an exasperated sigh. "The warrior has yet to pierce my heart, merely make me fear his staff."

Spock delicately lifted his eyebrow at her crude remark and saw her snicker at his reaction. "That is quite lewd. You have nothing to fear of me. I come to you, little leopard, in peace."

Nyota giggled and waved his advances away. "Mmm Spock, you are the best type of warrior."

Spock watched as Nyota went to the bundled of rooibos branches stuffed into her pack and began stripping them of their needles. "You are a peaceful warrior, Spock. I can... _feel_ your desire to build understanding instead of to tear down an enemy. This is very good for our family, having such a firm but gentle head of the _boma (1)_."

Spock walked over and joined her in her task. The thin leaves scented and stained his palms. "I am gratified to hear you say so. One warrior to another, how would you say I am faring against you in battle?" he asked her while meeting her eye.

Nyota smiled softly and dropped her gaze back down to the rapidly growing pile of leaves. "I would say you are winning my favor...perhaps even my heart… _V'tosh Terra_."

Spock smiled with his eyes and gave a slow blink of affection. Brushing his finger across the back of her hand, he spoke softly. "Gather everything you wish to barter or use. We will leave at dawn."

She nodded seemingly ignoring his hand but he could feel her delight at the touch. They would be fine, he thought. They would go to the compound and bonded humans would soothe her nerves and dash her fears. Soon, they would be joined and truly begin their life as Vulcan and mate.

Spock rose then and left her to work as Nyota went about making the tea ready for drinking. He had to prepare himself as well.

His father would not be pleased that his pon farr was still being held at bay. Admittedly, Spock had avoided the village at large because of that despite the help they would have received. The last thing his mate needed was an overbearing, pompous curmudgeon like Sarek bearing down her about duty, logic and why she was there with Spock in the first place.

Nyota wasn't there to be used. Spock loved her and wished nothing but her contentment. This in part annoyed his father to no end. As soon as Sarek found out about their incident on the Mara with the herdsmen, he would be livid. Worse yet, if he discovered them to still be virgins… well he had no idea of what Sarek would do.

Maybe avoid his parents altogether, he thought as he stowed his belongings. He could see to Nyota having an audience with the women and selling her tea and other wares she wished to barter for goods. Once she was settled and traded up they would either sleep at the temple or set out for home shortly after.

If she did in fact wish to mate though, Spock did not want to be caught out in the open bush of the Mara. He had a feeling that he would be rendered incapacitated of thought for a few hours if not a couple of days. He would protect her from anything he saw as a threat and would not let her anywhere out of his sight. These things he knew only from the memories of the others but reviewing the experiences begged his caution. They should make this as simple and comfortable as possible because _pon farr_ was anything but.

As he came across a coal knit tunic, Spock eyed it with dismay. If he avoided Sarek, he would most likely miss seeing his mother. She missed him and made a big show of appreciation at every one of his arrivals.

Packing away the sweater, Spock steeled himself for his father's presence. He would not put off visiting his parents if it meant forsaking his mother's wish to see him. Surely she would hear from the other women that they had come to the compound if they didn't happen across her.

Spock ran his fingers through his fringe and set out to meditate. Nyota would be fine at seeing to the rest of their departure plans. For now he had to settle himself as best he could given the ever strengthening hold that _pon farr_ was gaining on him. He did not want to be caught up in a moment of anger or lust and trigger his fever. Neither of them deserved that after waiting so long.

He entered the room he had set aside for study and went straight for his _asenoi_. The small fire pot was not as ornate as his father's but was beautiful nonetheless. The clays of earth did not take as much heat as the ones of Vulcan to set. The latter looked more glassy in appearance while his and many other Vulcan's had ones that more resembled pottery.

Spock lifted the rounded bowl and smoothed his hands over the crackled metallic glaze. _I am very much like this pot_ , he thought mildly.

A fire was burning him, starving him of oxygen as it swallowed down the compound like a drain. He felt faint for breath but at the same time brilliant in his splendor. He felt alive because of the burn. As he struggled against his own flame, Spock felt his life flaring up before his eyes. Never had he felt as strong, been as brave or loved as deeply as he had during this tenuous phase.

Nyota had only heightened the sensation, stoking the fire that threatened to put him out. Spock put down the pot and licked at his lips. Not for the first time did he consider that holding off on his mating time might make it more volatile. Would he find himself in distress? Would he be strong enough to be gentle with her? Had he trained enough for this? And what if Spock ran into _him_?

"I do not know…" he answered aloud. Lighting the pot, Spock set his mind on mastering his emotions, primarily his fear.

\- In the Maasai culture, each wife is the head of her own house. The husband, if he has multiple wives is the head of the boma or the house collective. He protects them, provides them with any means they may need and tries to see about their wants as well. Not all husbands have multiple wives but polygamy is practiced within the some Maasai tribes.

As to the question of what time this is taking place: (GEEK ALERT)

Sooo because this is taking place in Kenya (and sometimes Tanzania because of travel and the Mara land is straddled on the border) in the tribal plains of the Mara, I wanted to have this story put very little stress on Western culture. That includes how the Western world would keep time and long information. Many nations throughout Africa have a rich oral tradition, using this method to record and pass history. While there are cultures that have written language ( one obvious one is Hieroglyphics in Egypt and others like Vai in Sierra Leone and Nsibidi in Nigeria And Cameroon) from what I've found thus far the Maasai do not have one and the passage of time is different than what we are familiar with.

According to Star Trek's wiki, the Vulcan developed warp capable ships around the 1940s ( I think specifically 1947 in ST: Enterprise) but to make this story a bit more timeless and focused on the Maasai I'm not comfortable assigning a formal Western calendar date to it. I think if I were I would get off track ( more than I already do in general…) and start talking about the world at large when the story is taking place in a land and with a people whose traditions/cultures, technologies and politics are markedly distinct in nature. Thanks for bearing with me.

As for the Leopard's advice: It will be coming up in a future chapter when Spock employs it. ;)

A/N: I think this chapter was beta'd but I did go and add quite a bit. Forgive me for anything I didn't catch in my revisions.


	11. Chapter 11

Nyota stood just outside the door with her bags waiting to leave for the village. Spock had left that morning to settle up some business with his kinsmen and promised to be back shortly. All at once she wanted him here and for the pair of them to be on their way but also arriving back home.

Her loneliness had tripled with her capture with no one but Spock as a companion. Even with his presence wading in the back of her mind, she had no community to pour herself into. However, after this trip to visit the women, Nyota would finally have some solid answers. What was _pon farr_? Why did she _sense_ Spock? And how should she move past her feelings of fear based on the past and dwell in the hope of the future? If all went well, Nyota would finally move past the experience that had left her feeling disjointed.

She shifted her weight from one hip to the other and pulled her _shuka_ scarf closer around her body. _It could always be worse_ , she told herself. A bitter measure of assurance weighed on her that the small phrase held a wealth of truth. It was probably just the anticipation of going to the Vulcan compound that had her full of nervous energy. What would they be like? Hopefully nothing like the ones she had already met, Spock aside. And then there was meeting his parents...

"I should go wait inside, sit just inside the foyer," she murmured as she bit at her lip. She started to turn towards the house but instead huffed in frustration. Nothing would alleviate this pent up anxiety. She had already repacked her personal satchel three times and her bag of wares twice more, adding more little knick knacks and teas to sell. She had swept the floor and made sure to store all their non-perishables away in their designated clay pots and left the kitchen spotless.

Unless a honey badger got into their house (there was no keeping those terrors out of anything), there was nothing more to do in the house.

She hoped that whatever beast of burden Spock chose was fleet footed, because she did not want to be caught out in the open after nightfall. She would not tell him unless she was pressed, but the night of her retrieval replayed regularly in her dreams, leaving her hot and longing each morning.

A sensation Nyota couldn't place was clawing just under her skin every time he held her close. When he held her fingers against his, Nyota's heart thrummed against her ribs. The electric tingle that struck her each time Spock was near made her body yearn to come closer and go deeper into the connection. It was a prospect she was sure Spock would welcome, but she was still holding herself at bay.

These reactions since her retrieval had puzzled the young maiden many times but how to rid herself of such things was beyond her virgin knowledge of men and romance. Was she simply taken with his self-assured demeanor or was her body longing for its rite of passage into being known by a man?

Nyota worried at her lip as her mind conjured up her husband's thoughtful face from this morning. Oh what a trial this morning had been!

His lashes fanned out thickly across his olive skin as he went about fastening his clothes and belts. Spock had caught her watching but instead of dropping their gaze, each of them held it heatedly. Nyota swallowed thickly as he approached her, his outstretched hand coming up to cup her face. Rubbing his thumb across the ridge of her cheekbone, he had hummed deeply like that of a contented cat at her passive approval.

As his hand had trailed lower across her lips, she parted them with a slow breath in. Spock had paused, feeling for her intentions but when she held still, he had pursed his lips and withdrew with a sigh. He looked disoriented as he left the room and entered the hall, his breathing growing heavy as if he had physically worn himself with the tenderness he had shown her. After a few minutes Nyota grew worried when she went to the window and saw him nowhere in sight.

Nyota wished she had just waited just a few moments more so she could have saved them both the embarrassment of what transpired next.

As she left the room, the sound of muffled yell floated down the hall and sent her heart racing. A loud snarl followed by a pained groan filled the air next and set Nyota's teeth on edge. "Spock?"

The groan issued again, louder this time and with a pained gasp. "Spock!?"

As fast as she could, Nyota flew towards the noise as panic seized her limbs. Had Spock fallen? Had he been ill this whole time and masked the weakness? In the two seconds it had taken to reach the skin tarp that served as the door Nyota was nearly driven herself hysterical as the thought of being alone in the Mara choked her.

"Spock! What is the...OH!" Nyota drew back the curtain and clapped her hand over her mouth to stifle her gasp. She quickly backed away, not stopping until her back collided with the adjacent wall. She palmed her face and pulled her hands down over her cheeks. "Oh...I'm so sorry. I didn't know…I didn't mean too."

She knew what she saw, what she caught a glimpse of her husband doing once again but it was different this time. Braced white knuckles against the counter, Spock had his head thrown back in a look of excruciating ecstasy. His cheeks were flushed like fresh ferns and his mouth was trembling agape. His hand was locked in a painful grip over himself frantically jerking from root to tip as he sought any form of relief.

At the sound of her voice his head tilted over towards her. He did not stop his hand as he met her eye and drew a shaky breath in. The corners of his mouth curled up revealing his teeth in a disquieting grimace. Compared to his typical air, he seemed deranged and closer to what she had envisioned the Mgeni or Vulcans to actually be like. Her eyes went from his member to his twisted face in a morbid sense of curiosity.

As if picking up her interest, Spock tilted his head in question. "Do I still disgust you or am I now intriguing?"

He stayed in place but reached out to her within his mind. Her sex clenched at the touch of phantom fingers brushing lightly inside her. "Ah…" She hiccuped as her hands reached and grasped at the nothingness.

Spock's mouth quirked up along with his eyebrow. "So you _feel it_ then?"

Nyota shivered as the ghost touch increased in speed and pressure in time with his hand on his cock. Was he reaching through and using the bond to touch her? Nyota's hands went back and gripped the curtain as the sensation burned up towards her chest.

Spock licked his lips and cocked his head to the side. "You like _it_? Should I cease…?" he asked hoarsely.

Nyota pinched herself and was unnerved to find that the scene was real. She bit her lip and shook her head no.

"Good…" he said in a husky voice. " I do not wish to stop…"

Nyota whimpered quietly what felt like a large, warm mouth settled over the nipples of both her breasts. She closed her eyes and made a pitiful cry as the specter orifices fastened onto tightening buds and suckled. "Spock! _How_ …? Oh!"

Spock remained quiet aside from his ragged breathing and the wet squelch of his hand over his cock. "I want you so very badly…it hurts…" Hands were all around her now, caressing her face, fingering her mouth, palming her backside and driving her up the wall. Their bond could do all _this_? _Spock_ could do all this?!

 _"Than du aitlu nash veh, Nyota…_? _Than du...bolau nash veh.._? (Do you want this one, Nyota...? Do you...need this one?)"

Nyota's mouth fell open and her brows furrowed tightly at the center of her head. She tried earnestly to make her mouth work as she answered him. "I...I don't know...I think I…"

Before she could finish, he did. Spock's head fell back again with a strangled cry as he came up and over his fist. " _Nyo...ta_!" he gagged as he looked back over to where she stood transfixed by the scene. " _Aitlua... du nash veh…_ "(This one wants you)

At that, Nyota's bewitched feet took flight backwards out of the room. She had watched him! He had let her! "I'm so sorry…" she mumbled again as she rubbed at her burning face.

Shame coursed hotly through her as she felt not only her attraction towards him rise but her sex as well. Her clit throbbed between her legs as it ached for the touch to return. She shuffled her thighs against one another but it did nothing to lighten the need. She huffed as she felt the warm, slippery moisture leave her channel and coat her underwear once again.

Spock had exited moments later with his loincloth smoothed back in place and his breathing more even. He had not looked at her but told her softly that he would be back soon.

"I'm sorry," she whispered again.

Spock had turned and looked at her then, his face just as placid as if nothing had happened. It had reminded Nyota of the Mara's sky during the dry season as it stretched across the land in one unbroken blanket of blue. No matter how long you looked for signs of wind, rain or storms there were none to be had.

"Do not be," he said mildly and left her standing there with a growing pit in her stomach. She felt both relieved and rotten by the whole event.

This new world of marriage and Vulcans was convoluted at best. She could have just given in, invited Spock to do more than literally warm her bed, but she no longer wanted to do things because she ought to. If she wanted her husband, Nyota truly wanted to feel it as much as in her heart as in her body but even beyond that she wanted to know this male who so desperately wanted her.

Nyota decided then to keep her life simple as possible until she felt she could emotionally carry more. He had given her a choice, so she would do just that. She would mate with Spock when the time was right instead of succumbing to a lustful moment. Beyond witnessing a few of his strange proclivities and rites of passages, there was still so much Nyota had to learn about her husband.

Just as her people said, there was no peace where there was no understanding and right now there was so much Nyota did not understand.

She was stirred from her thoughts at the sound of hooves thundering against the earth. What in the world was Spock doing, bringing the whole herd? As Nyota bent to gather her bags, she spotted movement to her left. And what she saw had her doing a double take.

On the not too distant plain, Spock was riding towards her astride a large eland buck. Nyota's face became a caricature of disbelief as she stared at her husband. He was riding an...antelope? Her small waterskin fell down to the ground as she continued to watch in amazement.

She had never seen a beast ridden before let alone one of the largest antelopes of the Mara. Its dusky nose was raised high in the air as it lead the way with two sable antelope does in tow. The lot of them flicked their tails and wagged their ears as Spock led them over towards their home.

Spock had nearly reached her when Nyota finally regained the ability to close her jaw. She was doing that a lot today but then again, a lot of jaw dropping things had happened.

With a practiced dismount, Spock led the huge antelopes over to her. He gave no explanation as to where and how he came about the seemingly tame, mismatched herd. The antelope stood patiently, delicately picking at the grass as Spock loaded them down with their luggage. What in the Mara was going on!?

"Spock, where...how did you…?" Nyota started as she pointed towards the oversized wild bovines.

The Vulcan looked over from securing their baggage and blinked at her. When he saw her looking at the buck comprehension dawned on him.

"Some of the stranded Vulcan crew after their first decade here started a domestication process with a few select Bovinae. They were most successful with the common eland and the kudu but you will find that the Eland and Sable antelope are not so disagreeable."

He finished loading the first antelope before starting on the next, tightening the sling holding the spear at his back. Nyota had seen him with a dagger around the house but never the spear. Where had that come from?

"Disagreeable towards what…? Wait...I'm supposed to ride that?" she motioned with a jerk of her chin towards the smaller, dark doe. As if sensing her regard, the animal swung its large horned head around to face Nyota before returning to its forging.

Spock shot her his best look of confusion which was not much more than a slow blink and his heavy brow meeting in the middle over his nose. "Why, yes. Is that an issue?"

Nyota nervously pulled at the cloak and quietly shook her head no. Spock studied her wary glances at the largest beast and led the bull over by the forelock. Much to her dismay, her husband brought the eland to a halt with only his body between them.

His large, hot hand engulfed hers as he pulled her gently towards him and flipped her hand palm open to the sky with the back of it resting in his own palm.

"Traveling by way of antelope is not only a source of energy conservation for the journey ahead but we will get there much more quickly which will give us much needed down time in between leaving our luggage at my parents' house and selling your wares."

Nyota swallowed and pulled back when the eland's large nose came up to inspect her but Spock held her in place. Moving her hand, Spock placed it down onto the bull's nose. With a large snuffling grunt the eland gave Nyota a quick once over for food but remained largely uninterested in her.

Releasing her hand, Spock held her by the waist and placed her side saddle across the scratchy, gray expanse of the eland's back before mounting right behind her. His hot torso pressed up against her as he shifted to get more comfortable. Nyota tried her best to ignore the exposed plane of his chest but faltered as his arm came up around her and drew her closer.

"Are you relatively comfortable?"

She nodded up at him and wiggled in her seat. He narrowed his eyes at her but made no comment as he leaned forward and lightly patted at the eland's waddled neck. Its head left the scratchy stocks at the ground and held itself at attention as it finished chewing at what little was left in his mouth.

"This is all new for you but you should not be afraid. The thought had not occurred to me that you may have been apprehensive about the antelope. I apologize for my carelessness."

"It is alright," she said, swallowing at the growing lump in her throat.

His hand at her side smoothed down over her hips as a means to calm her. "Do take comfort in the knowledge, however, that I will ride with you until you are ready to do so on your own. Even then as you ride alone, I shall be vigilant in my watch over your person."

Nyota only nodded and snuggled back into him in response. As was the current trend she was terrified but resigned to the situation. How did these things keep happening to her?

Nyota felt his eyes watching her for a time before motioning the antelope into action. " _Ausahr!_ (Gallop) With both hands snagged into the stiff mane of the eland, Nyota lurched back into Spock's chest as the antelope took off from a standstill into a powerful gallop. The less burdened Sables followed suit and galloped a bit ahead. Even with the rough terrain, the antelope flew sure footed over the rugged ground with a clear destination in mind.

The wind whipped wildly at her hair and teared her eyes but after the first few frightening moments Nyota was thrilled. Spock must have felt her excitement because he tightened his grip at her waist and shifted in his seat with his hips leaning on his left leg. The eland snorted with a wave of his massive horned head and quickened his pace to join the others running ahead.

Glancing down at the grass below, Nyota was amazed at the beast's speed compared to his size. Though he wasn't as quick as the mahogany coated does, the bull ran just a few meters behind even with the weight of two people on his back. It seemed whatever time and care the husbandry of the Vulcans had given his stock had been done with astounding results.

"Hold onto his mane!" Spock shouted over the pounding thunder of hooves and shifted away from her back.

Quickly grappling with her scarves, Nyota locked her fingers tighter into the bristly tufts of hair and nodded her compliance. Satisfied that his mate had a good hold of her steed, Spock made a quick clicking whistle and had the eland charging forward towards the sable on his left while the doe in turn slowed down to run alongside him.

Before Nyota could question the behavior, Spock looped one long leg over the eland and dismounted in one swift motion onto the nearby sable antelope.

Panic gripped Nyota as she found herself on the huge eland by herself but was reassured when Spock's charge kept pace with hers. Spock locked eyes with her and nodded. Like the comfort from a hand on her shoulder Nyota felt her husband's assurance swell in her chest as he gave her a steady gaze. She took a deep breath and settled into the peace he offered while she shook off the fear being alone on the large cloven hoof beast. She should know now more than ever she could never be alone after bonding with Spock.

Spock gave her mount a bit of space as they continued eating away at the miles on their fleet footed herd.

With the sun before them, the group slowed to an easy trot and made their way east with a soft curve southwards. The early morning subjects of the Mara kingdom were fast at work scrounging up breakfast, burrowing, prowling and circling the sky. The night shift, in comparison, was just settling in for a warm, sound sleep in whatever little shade there was to offer.

A pride of lions eyed them lazily as they crossed the shade tree the big cats were resting under. Only the cubs took an interest in the odd looking bunch, following behind them until they saw that their mothers and aunts had no intention to chase the little ones' chosen quarry.

A grazing herd of zebra bobbed their heads up in mild alarm as they passed but quickly returned to their stalks when they saw no predators were in pursuit. It was like this for most of the way through the savannah with only a few signs that humans even existed with the occasional broken spear or piece of ratty cloth littering the ground.

Spock said very little as he scanned the grassland for friend or foe, but she could feel him holding fast to her through the bondlink that they shared. What she had thought was apprehension, Nyota then understood as his budding excitement as they traveled further out from their home and closer towards what she assumed to be his homeland. She supposed she would be the same way if she had the option of seeing her kin again. A dull ache struck her chest at the image of her family and Spock jerked his head in her direction.

"What concerns you?" he asked looking from her face out to the surrounding field.

"It is nothing. Just a little pain," she prevaricated. "I think it is from riding but I will be fine."

He stared at her, weighing whether or not to press the issue. "Are you apprehensive about meeting my people?"

Nyota shrugged and soothed the hair at her antelope's neck. The action calmed them both and Nyota felt the buck slow his gait. "Not truly. Everything and nothing makes me that way. So much has happened in so little time that I feel...desensitized."

Spock watched her steadily and took in her words. His doe slowed alongside her charge and snorted at the air. Spock glanced up and noted their position. "You will not always feel that way. I will be the first to admit that this has been quite tiring."

Out of the corner of her eye, he saw her shrug again. "What is, is…right? Are you happy to see your parents?"

Spock's jaw jutted out to the side as he heard her question. "Happiness is not an emotion that I will admit to having. I am amenable to seeing them and I am sure they will be satisfied by our presence."

Nyota watched him more closely as Spock's eyes narrowed and twitched. The feeling that she got from him earlier morphed into something less anxious and more brooding.

"That seems a bit cold, don't you think?"

"Again, that is not an emotion that I can recall ever experiencing. You will meet them, they will question you, we will sleep over and then we will depart. It is not so much cold as it is highly efficient."

Nyota's eyebrows lifted up in surprised irritation at Spock's catty behavior. She was only making conversation and it was clear that he did have a problem with at least one of his parents. "Fine. I believe I will be highly efficient and save my energy talking to you."

He snapped his head over towards her direction to see her chin up high as she rode the eland. "Nyota, do not be churlish."

"You first," she huffed, nodding her head away from him.

She heard a loud rumbling noise coming from his direction but it was cut short as the growling bothered the antelope. "See, not even the deer like your ill-mannered behavior. You're acting like a rude little boy."

Spock exhaled loudly from his nose and ground his teeth. "If speaking with me is not something you wish to do then what would you have us do for the next two hours, _K'diwa_?"

Nyota bit her cheek as a giggle threatened to escape her. He was practically pouty about her lack of attention and approval. Ah, it seemed all males were alike after all. "Well, to pass the time and shorten the work, _I_ like to sing."

" _I_ do not _sing_ ," he grumbled.

Nyota looked at him in shock as Spock sulked aloud. How petulant he was being! It was like the son of a mother with many daughters. Spoiled rotten. "Fine, my cranky caracal. I do not care whether you sing or not. I will do so, so I can drown out your groaning."

"I am not groaning, Nyota," he groused in a near whine. Wow, he was feeling some sort of way!

She ignored him and held the stiff mane of her steed. Lifting her head she sang loud and gaily, letting her voice crack at its lack of use and warm up. She first sang of the king and his wife who came to visit with their child in Wakyumwa Katambanga, where she, the singer, was not at home so the child suggested they come back tomorrow.

She sung the story of the tree on the river bank whose leaves played with the wind. As she drew near the part where she was supposed to pantomime along, she motioned her hands in circles instead of her running. Then there was one of her favorites about a child and a frog being scared by each other and running away.

As she spied Spock's sour face, she couldn't keep herself from laughing as she pictured him as the little green frog. When he minutely pursed his lips in annoyance, she laughed even harder, leaning against the neck of the eland. She sniffed with a smirk as she felt his sour demeanor begin to waver.

Her joy appeared to be contagious and her happiness had bubbled over to her husband through their bond. Although he did not smile and sing along, Nyota could tell he enjoyed the music. She began singing one song that she thought Spock might like given the nickname he had coined for her.

" _Kanyoni gakwa wihithahithe, Kanyoni gakwa wihithahithe. Nawonwo nduri wakwa, Nawonwo nduri wakwa._ (My little bird, hide, hide. My little bird, hide, hide. If found you are no longer mine. If found you are no longer mine.)"

Spock tilted his head this way and that as he struggled to string together the Kikuyu bantu nursery song and knit his brows together. "Does it mean that if found, the bird is no longer the owner's?"

Nyota rolled her eyes and smiled with an airy laugh. "No, Spock. We sing it during hide and go seek... _tapo_ , you know?

"Hmmm," he grunted as he puzzled over the meaning. "I do not see why a song should contain lyrics that are not literal. It is illogical and confusing to the listener."

"Or just confusing to you…?"

Spock sighed at her prodding and Nyota found herself laughing again. She did not know that he was so easy and fun to tease. Maybe having a husband wasn't so bad after all? "How much further, oh great husband?"

Spock cut his eyes at her before returning them to focus on the horizon. "The encampment is within that mountain range there," he said pointing. "At our present speed, it will take us another 37 minutes to arrive."

"Oh great! That means we can sing some more!"

Spock took a long suffering breath in and blinked slowly. "I do not feel that you used the word 'great' correctly. And then there is your use of 'we'..."

Nyota went on to sing another tune as Spock groaned quietly beside her. It was no matter, his heart was lifting right along with hers. They had trails to face, bridges to build and a life to fight for out on the Mara, but they were alive and with each other. No matter the company, Nyota was starting to feel less alone.

They were coming up fast on the hollow topped mount. It was a lonely looking place with an interesting patch of green around it. Spock's earlier tension returned the closer they came and Nyota chose a lullaby song to sing softly instead.

He wouldn't say it aloud, but she could feel his affinity towards her singing voice. He had huffed and grumbled about it but the longer she sang the more he had relaxed. It had been uplifting for them both and she saw no reason to stop now.

As they came parallel to the shadow of the mount, their band slowed to a walk. Nyota eyed the surrounding forest suspiciously as she continued her melody. As beautiful and lush as it appeared, the neighboring bush felt dangerous.

Spock dismounted from the sable and led their small caravan over to a ledge of the small rift she had never seen or heard of before. Women in her nation rarely ventured out too far and never this distance into the bush. Leading the antelope with a clicking noise, Spock encouraged them up into the strange looking copse of trees. Nyota held her breath and rubbed at the eland's neck. She wasn't sure of what she may see next.

Spock turned and looked at the nervous set of her mouth.

"Do not be fearful. I will introduce you to anyone we meet. Otherwise you are free to stay silent and observe if you wish."

Nyota nodded as she licked her lips and watched for movement. It didn't look like a village. The dirt trail looked well worn and wide like a village common way but was clear of any traffic.

Where were the homes? The people? It was only trees and brush. The canopy shadowed them as they ventured further into the thickly lined pathway. Nyota was happy to have relieved herself some time back as she felt the urge to urinate pass over her again. These woods felt alive.

"Spock have you ever seen any demons about here?"

Spock gave her a look of pity and a brief shake of his head. "No, I cannot say I have ever sighted any malevolent spirits about. Are you still frightened?"

Nyota bobbed her head with a non-committed motion, neither positive nor negative. "Well I wouldn't say frightened...I am a warrior...just a tad...concerned, you see. I just have–"

Spock stilled and held up his hand for silence. Straightening his posture, he spoke aloud in rapid Vulcan. " _Nashaut_. (Greetings)."

Nyota looked around in the sun dappled pathway, dropping her veil. She wondered for a moment if he was waiting on her to respond. _If he was, he'd better repeat himself and speak more slowly,_ she thought looking at the path up ahead.

" _K'shatrisu, ha'kel t'du wilat_? (Foreigner, where is your home?)" came a voice from the brush.

Again, Spock called out in a quick, choppy shout before turning to face her. " _La'. Ki'kwi'fun-tor._ (Here. I have returned from very far away/ It is good to be back home.)"

Nyota's face folded as she shook her head. She leaned over towards him and began to whisper. "I don't know what you're talking about, what is going...AH, SPOCK!"

She jolted to her right as a demonic looking figure dropped down from out the trees above in front of her charge. The eland below her started to buck in surprise but the devil's arms shot and seized his horns. "Oh, Spock I told you! It's going to kill us!" she shrieked, reaching for her dagger.

The eland snorted and tried to free its horn with a shake. The motion was wasted as the Skull Kudu man held its head steady. The demon huffed in amusement and tilted its skulled head to the side to regard them. " _Nam'uh hayal. Lof t'etek ri aisha vatlar._ (Calm down, I'm not here to make trouble)"

Wait, was he talking to her or the buck? Nyota sniffed and fumed at the perceived slight to her person. Anybody would have been surprised at someone dropping down from the trees without warning, especially looking the way that he did! As he turned his head towards Spock, Nyota caught sight of the male's pointed ears. A Vulcan, she concluded, but he wasn't like the others she had met.

With a calm she did not feel, Nyota tried to make sense of the masked Vulcan. Was he wholly Vulcan or a mix of supernatural? With nothing but a loincloth, knife and mask to his person, how could that thing say that it wasn't here to start trouble? He certainly wasn't dressed for anything else.

"He's a guard Nyota, stay your blade," Spock told her gently.

Nyota bit her tongue to refrain from snapping at the sentry and watched Spock to gauge his feelings. He felt distant now, more than he had during their trip, but maybe that was because at another Vulcan male was so near.

The light bronze Vulcan slid back the thick bone mask by its horns and surprised her with his charming face. Again Nyota was struck by the bizarre aesthetics of the Vulcan people and their sharp features.

The rogue's face was a creamy brown with a heavy field of freckles dotting across his cheeks. One of his eyes was a ghastly milk white while the other was a startling spark of hazel like the Mara after the rain. His hair was cropped at the sides and braided back to the crown where he had it fixed with a strap of leather into a long wolftail. _A descendant of the Turkana tribe_ , she thought as she studied the wealth of necklaces burdening his neck and shoulders.

Second only to the Maasai in size, Turkana people lived as nomadic herders and fearsome warriors. Even among the Maasai, the Turkana tribesmen were held in high regard for their resilience. Their lands along the rift valley were harsh and trying, only housing the hardiest of desert dwellers.

He looked at Nyota and as he noted her dress, he gave a glimmer of a smile. " _Maasai ahklami!_ (The Maasai are among us!)"

He then turned to Spock and made a salute with his fingers split into twos with his thumb held out from his palm. " _Amsetri tre, Spock, safu T'Sarek t'maat T'gai S'chn._ (You honor us with your presence, Spock, son of Sarek from the clan of T'gai S'chn.)"

Spock's face was placid but Nyota felt a sudden joy radiating out through the bond. " _Ulidar, t'hai'la._ (Marked, my blood brother)"

Ulidar extended his hand and pushed it against her husband's. " _Spock, t'hai'la._ (Uniter, my kindred friend. Welcome.)

Spock sighed and blinked before withdrawing his hand. Extending his arm towards Nyota, Spock welcomed the sentry to greet her. " _Ulidar, tra-ashal-Nyota, t'ko-telsu._ (Ulidar, there is my darling Nyota, my wife.)"

Ulidar gave him a hearty nod and blinked slowly in approval. " _Maasai Bantu kosu, rosh-amp nahr. Ta-kahl l't'shami Kibibi_. (A Maasai Bantu woman, a sound choice. Like that of my lamb, Kibibi)"

Changing to accommodate her into the conversation, Ulidar spoke to Nyota in Kiswahili. "Hello, little sister. So nice to welcome you so far from home. The wives will be pleased to have you among them. You...have brought things to barter?" he asked eyeing their packs.

Nyota nodded but said nothing more. The sentry tilted his head and twitched his nose. "You are so quiet, _T'sai_. Has my brother not been treating you well?"

Nyota shut her eyes and shook her head. The thought that anyone would question whether Spock had mistreated her hurt Nyota as she felt her own guilt weigh on her. While he was fully committed, Nyota admittedly felt from holding his back intimately, she had only put one foot in. She knew she cared for him now, quite a bit in fact but to be in love with Spock as he was in love with her was too much conjured at this point. She wished for it but Nyota was seriously starting to worry at her ability to do so.

Ulihar practically grinned at her shy carriage and turned to Spock with a sparkle in his eye. "You have jostled the words from her mouth, she is so taken with you. I wish you both the best. Here, let me escort you both to the gate."

Spock made no comment to his friend's words but thanked him for his guidance. Both Vulcans clicked their tongues for the antelope to follow and led Nyota along a twisted pathway. It went down into the rift and back up towards the mountain's base.

As they walked, Spock and Ulihar made small talk, catching up with the other's life while occasionally looking back to check on Nyota. She chose to stay silent and take it all in. After her encounter with the herdsmen in the Mara, Nyota thought it best to observe and survey before making herself known.

The sentry had a different air about him than those of the young males on the plains. It even differed from Spock as she studied their countenance. This male appeared more expressive than Spock but still far less so than Rovoc and his group. His movements were more fluid than Spock's who looked sore and stiff in comparison. And while her husband seemed disquieted, Ulihar had a sense of harmony about him. Despite the skull.

Nyota wondered...if she laid down for Spock would all the tension and stress she felt from him melt away and leave him with a similar mien as his blood brother?

Studying Spock, Nyota felt herself grow resolved to cure their intimacy issue. Overall, he had been cordial if not deferential to her as a mate. No matter the strength of his displeasure, he had sought to understand her and when they were of one accord, he doted on her to no end.

The eland below her bellowed as they neared the bare rock of the mount's side and came to a halt before the males signaled for it. What was going on?

The tall sentry came alongside the rock face and gave a surrounding boulder a mighty push over to the right. The flat, rounded stone rolled like a wheel and revealed a cavern.

Peering in, Nyota could see lanterns like those from their home lining the walls of the tunnel. The effect was eerie as it was beautiful as the light sparkled through the darkness in glowing prismatic streaks. " _Ama_ …( Woah in Swahili)," she whispered softly.

Nyota looked down to her left to see Spock extending his hand to help her down. She took it and threw her leg over the buck and jumped down to the ground. Her legs numb from riding, gave out as her feet connected with the ground.

Spock's arms came around Nyota and pulled her up along his torso. "Allow me to carry you until the feeling has returned to your legs."

Nyota nodded and was again swept away by his deceptive, brawny strength. Ulihar called the antelope and lead the small caravan through the dark, crystal cave. As they walked, the sound of dripping water echoed alongside their footsteps. If she strained her ears, Nyota almost thought she could hear people but that had been happening since the beginning of the journey. When we she see them? Where were the humans? Where were these Vulcans hiding?

The cavern was fairly wide, enough that they could walk three abreast but small enough to keep out elephants and other large herbivores. Nyota eyed the walls with amazement that they flashed and sparkled with the light as they moved through the cavern.

 _Gold_ , she thought as she traced the branching line with her eyes. There were other stones too but none like that the Bantu typically used. Maybe there were veins around that the village tapped and harvested for jewelry?

Nyota's excitement grew as she thought about what awaited her and the healing that they would do to become a couple. _This is the beginning of the end for this intimacy mess_ , she thought happily.

Ulihar's wide mouth broke into a flicker of a smile before turning neutral again. The tunnel had dipped down and pitched to the left leaving them standing at a dead end. Pushing at the rock, the guardsman pushed and tossed the stone gateway aside. Light from the outside blinded her briefly before highlighting the view. Nyota gasped and broke into a smile as she took in the sight before her.

"Welcome home, little sister."

A/N: song references and lyrics from , an awesome website full of children songs from around the world! Check it out and listen to a few. I especially enjoy singing the Japanese ones. Sadly not to many Kenyan songs have audio so I couldn't sing along to most of them but the little bird song. Thank you to Yalegirl03 for her long suffered editing ;p any mistakes are mine.


	12. Chapter 12: Homecoming

A/N: not beta'd yet

Spock retrieved their bags and said his parting words to Ulihar. " You must meet with me before I take my leave of the community once more."

His friend smiled with a nod and rubbed his knuckles along his chest below his collarbone. Ulihar was still a good head taller than Spock even without the horned mask to exaggerate his height. Spock might catch him yet with his growth spurt after his first pon farr but then again, Ulihar's mother was a good deal taller than his. " Once I am relieved of duty tonight, come and share my drink and company. Your wife will keep mine busy along with the other humans. She will be pleased to not have me chasing at her skirt this evening."

Spock exhaled loudly through his nose. " I suppose she would be given the _odor_ you are emitting…"

Ulihar gave a short hum which was the closest any Vulcans full or mixed came to laughing. " You have not lost your sense of humor. I must leave you now less a local stumbles into our village."

" Like last time?" Spock teased with a face that hide enjoyment.

" It was not on my watch." he said, giving Spock a pointed look. " The traveler was scouring the whole mountain in search of Kei apples and wild cucumbers when both are better found along the Kei river." he sighed and pulled at the bands around his wrists. " Hunger will always drive one into doing the unconventional."

" I will seek you out this evening." he excused pulling his mask back in place.

Spock nodded and shouldered the bags the other had unloaded. " Indeed. I seek your counsel on a matter of the utmost importance."

Ulihar tilted his head and Spock could practically imagine the ghost of a smile he was wearing. " Then I shouldn't be the one to deprive you of sound advice. For all my time of know Spock, you gave good counsel that you rarely followed yourself."

Spock nodded at the apt characterization of his childhood demeanor. " I was quite the impetious minor. You find that I have matured significantly."

" And I am sure it is largely due in part to your mate. She has all saved us from your overbearing logic and hunger for adventure. Ah, you delay me. I will take my leave now and you will keep me no longer."

The tall guard then leaned forward to speak with Nyota. As soon as Spock had put her down she had slunk back behind him and hidden away from the guardsman. It appeared she was still wary of the masked Vulcan's nature.

Ulihar bent down towards the side to catch a glimpse of Spock's cautious wife. In a voice that was deeper than natural he spoke quietly to Nyota. " Say hello to mine who is Kibibi. Live long and prosper, _T'sai_."

She nodded and mimicked the salute he gave her. He nodded back and turned towards the gate with a cat-like grace. The pair of them watched the sentry leave with their antelope back up into the tunnel and disappear into the shadows. Long after he was gone Nyota was still stiff with tension as she leaned against him.

Blinking down at her Spock rubbed at her shoulder and caught her attention. " Ulihar is a childhood friend. He was chosen for his post due to his altruistic nature, as is the rest of our guard. He would be the last to ever cause one harm and the first to defend you, save myself."

Nyota twisted her lips, deciding what to thinking of the stranger. Lowering her brow she stared at the cave. " Why does he wear such _clothing_?"

Spock tapped her gently beneath her chin to drew her attention back to his face. " For the same reason you and your parent's nations would believe this forest and mount are haunted."

Nyota gave an airy sound of indignation and pushed at his bare stomach. " You all scare humans on purpose?! Some kindly guard you have…"

Spock huffed, amused by her assessment. " It is compassionate. We do not want to be ambushed and driven away from our home. Nor do we want to employ the use of mind techniques to erase their memories or the worse case scenario of violence between our people. Better that everyone who comes near our home think it inhabited by the spirits of the forest or demons."

Nyota hummed in disagreement but made no comment. She had been very quiet and mild since their arrival to the woods. She was hard to read as she looked to be excited by their trek but kept her thoughts sealed behind her lips.

Reaching out between them Spock felt along their bond and was pleased to find her filled with an anticipation, possibly in correlation to meeting other humans.

Using his hip he gently nudged Nyota in the direction of the moss lined road leading towards the village center. Her first few steps were staggered as she jerked her head around to the tree canopy above. Feeling her caution still thick within the bond, Spock smoothed his hand quickly over the small of her back. " There are not more sentries waiting in the trees to surprise you, K'diwa."

At that Nyota made a sigh of relief and stood up from the defensive half crouch she was in. " That is good news…"

" Indeed it is, they were liable to be gutted by a certain someone I know who does not take kindly to surprises…"

Nyota playfully batted at his side and sequeled as he reached after her. Dodging out of the way she giggled as he made grand gesture of growling and reaching for her again. This time he snagged her waist and drew her up against him. His heart lurched unsteadily at her proximity and took the wind from his lungs. As she curled into his embrace Spock felt his face contort into something more sinister. He hide his expression as he nuzzled into her shoulder. His knee nearly failed him and he braced himself against her as he swayed forward.

" Spock?". Her voice was soft but weighed with concern. His ever present erection leaked against the fabric of his cloth. He cursed silently as Nyota's soft body brushed against him. Just the smell of her threatened his sanity.

His hands tightened on her arms and his low, rumble vibrated within his chest. Nyota tried to turn and look at his face but he held her firm. He feared meeting her eye. If he saw any trace of lust there he would take Nyota where they stood. It was the last thing he wanted for her but at the top of his body's list of priorities.

He swallowed down the ragged, wheezing growl and gulped at the air. Retaining his control was like trying to hold your breath after sprinting a marathon. It was either continue to deny himself the thing that he needed or die on his honor.

" Nyota...you should know that if you run...my body is very much inclined on _catching_ you. We should save such games for... _later_." he finished with a harsh clearing of his throat. It was worse...he was worse...fighting this was getting harder. Not only was there the ache in his loins but now his organs felt physically pained.

Nyota stood still as he recovered but he could feel her desire to help him. There could only be one way and he would not push her any further than he had this morning. He had yet to employ the leopard's advice and in these desperate times Spock would try all desperate measures.

But first to get Nyota to the women and to speak with Ulihar. His bond brother's marriage bonding had been different as well. Straightening up with a deep breath Spock pushed away his pain and his lust.

" I have not planned a formal itinerary, do you have any suggestions of what you'd like to do first?"

Nyota pulled at the scarf held in place by her headband with a slight grimace. As she looked about the lush greenery for homes it deepened into a frown. Whether she shared in his pain or not, it seemed she thought it better not to question his dizzy spell or the phantom feeling. " Perhaps sell my tea and jewelry at the market but I don't see a market square or people...where are the houses?"

Spock gestured with his chin towards the carter's walls. " They are built inside the rock of the mountain's carter."

He watched her as Nyota squinted and searched the rock face before finding the first hint of a window. " Ah! I see one! How clever! Just like the second half of our home. Your people really do enjoy dwelling inside rock, do they not?"

Spock tilted his head and gave a minute shrug of his shoulders. The motion made his shoulders ache but relieved some of the tension he was holding. " On Vulcan stone is an abundant resource while wood is far more scarce. So the logical choice not so much the preference is placed on rock to use in building infrastructures. When the ship was listing from engine failure and Earth's gravitational pull, our pilots guided it as best they could to a location that most felt could easily conceal our vehicle as well as provide us with the best choice in sustainable community."

He nodded back towards the exit but spoke in general terms. " Elsewhere on the planet there was not as much cover and some places that did provide it where far too cold to house us comfortably for a long period of time. So they aimed here along your planet's equator and landed as best they could in the hollow of this ancient volcano. Not only was it a logical choice but a very sound one given our long term settlement here."

Nyota looked back at his face as he voiced the last sentence and softened her expression. " Your people on Vulcan…? They have not tried to retrieve you all here?"

He tilted his head from side to side as he thought it over. " I could not state the nature of their knowledge of my grandfather's ship and crew. They may think that they all perished, were destroyed by the ship's malfunctioning warp drive, killed by the humans here on earth or defected to live a life without logic if they even thought to look for us."

" I am sorry, Spock." she said sadly. Her kind words moved him even if they were said without necessity.

" For me this venture is far from something I rue. Without crashing here I would not have been conceived, known the wealth of the Mara or possess you as my wife. Those things in comparison to a supposed life on a planet I've never once seen before…" he blinked thoughtfully and continued. " I do not find the argument to be elsewhere more compelling. I am bonded here to this land as much as my life is bonded to my breath. That is perhaps why my father's yearning to see his homeworld again still plagues him. It is not logical...but it is understandable."

Nyota's eyes sparkled then at the mention of his father." Oh yes your family! Whenever you think it is best we will pay our respects and visit them."

Spock sighed silently and nodded. His Nyota, always thinking the best of family. It showed how sweet and caring hers had been during her adolescence in spite of her being marked. He did not mind her regarding his mother as such but he did not want Nyota being under the delusion that Sarek would make an effort to know her beyond her willingness to relieve his blood fever.

" Nyota you will meet my mother with the other women."

" And your father."

" He is…" he started but bit his tongue. As much as he loathed Sarek's views he still loved his father. Slandering him before his wife got a chance to meet him and draw her own opinions was not very pious of Spock to do.

Best to just warn her of his temperament he thought. " He is here and can be met but my father is not...as public spirited as Ulihar. Nor do I want you thinking him to be anything like the herdsmen of our community. Sarek is quite...logical…"

She nodded slowly over his words and took them to heart. " I will do my best to be logical as well."

" Be yourself." he pressed and was surprised to find her hand batting at his side.

" What are you saying? You don't find me to be logical, husband?" she asked in mock anger.

" No offense should be taken where none was offered." he chided back, playfully. He had not meant his words harshly but he saw how she came to the conclusion she had. " I do not want you to put on airs that you may think he would enjoy. He is rigid in his ways and has his preferences."

" What do you mean? Like food? People? Drink..?"

" Vulcans. He prefers their company to any other."

At that Nyota hummed and popped her tongue against the roof of her mouth. " I am familiar with such things. Among the nations and tribes there are always those who feel that their ways are the best and all others to be inferior. It is alright, Spock, I will not take on a character. Do not worry."

But he did.

The had only gone about a quarter of a mile when they came upon the first villagers of the compound. Nyota practically hummed with energy as she noted the humans. She started to run but stopped herself. She continued the halting gait until they pair was upon them.

The group took them in and greeted Spock while studying Nyota. Spock noticed Loj'a's mate Esha among them, weighted down by her infant feeding greedily at her breast and wealth of cloth adorning her. She smiled warmly at Nyota, her bright smile shining like pearls set into the onyx of her skin. Her plump hand pulled Nyota over crushed her against her plump body. " Oh a new wife. Welcome sister! You look so surprised and frightened! Ha ha! I remember the feeling. Come meet my children."

Nyota nodded and bent her waist as the small Vulcans introduced themselves. Their bright eyes lit up when his wife spoke with them in Vulcan and readily changed to their father's language.

Esha's round face broke into an even wider smile as she clucked her tongue in disbelief. " My my, you know Vulcan so well! How long have you been with your husband?"

" Thank you, sister and not long. I studied the language in the time that I was to prepare for him."

" No wife speaks it as fluently as you. It is a gift I and others wished we possessed. As it is our children usually act as go betweens but there are certain things you just don't want little ears to hear."

Nyota laughed and nodded eyeing the little tots around her. " Yes yes, I see. Well...if ever there was a time that I would find myself in the village for a spell I would not mind teaching you or the others anything I know. I still do not speak it at the same level as my Maa or Swahili but it is enough that we can communicate."

Esha patted Nyota's cheek and nodded. " Oh yes, I would love that! Having a human teacher among us would be a nice change of pace. Most Vulcans are fluent in Swahili but only because they do not forget anything. Their hear a word along with the meaning and it gets stuck there…" she said pointed to her forehead. " like a fly in honey. But idioms and jargon are lost on most of them. This is exciting, perhaps you can help in teaching the children jewelry craft and a bit of botany as well?"

As the two spoke Spock noted how stilted Nyota's sentences were spoken. He figured it was the difference in dialects when it came to the Swahili. Esha was Bantu like Nyota's mother but from the west in Kisii. Chances were Nyota would have an easier time speaking with a woman that was Maasai or a Bantu from the southeast.

As he picked over the crowd of women and children Spock spied Ralek's mate, Adia. Adia was a tall, comely women who wore her hair in long black braids. There was a gentle swell to her belly since the last time Spock had seen the her, denoting a possibly pregnancy. Reviewing her clothes Spock was pleased to find that the shuka she wore bore the same patterns and designs like those of Nyota. " _Ko-telsu t'Ralek,_ greetings. This is she who is my wife Nyota. She is from the village of Namanga."

Adia eyed Nyota with a wide white smile and embraced her fully against her. " I am from Magabi! Welcome to our family!"

Nyota clung to Adia's arms like a long, lost friend and butted her forehead against the other's. " Thank you, big sister. Thank you, I have been lost."

Adia clucked her tongue and murmured softly as Nyota began to cry. " No no. No tears."

Nyota nodded and dabbed her eyes with the back of her hand. " My apologies. I am happy, very happy."

Adia smiled at her again and gestured towards Spock. " Your mate is more heavy laden than I am with this babe in my belly. What have got in those bags?"

" Rooibos tea and a few trinkets I made."

Esha hummed and came forward with the children in tow. All were bright eyed, curious and marked by their Vulcan heritage. When they came near the bags to inspect the goods Spock shoo'ed them away with his eyes. They took the hint but he could tell they were waiting for an opening. Such naughty little cubs.

" I will trade you a satchel of rooibos for masala tea in the same weight. The red bush tea won't keep my babe up like the chai does. What jewelry do you have? I should get my Loj'a to get me some. I have no such time for making them anymore." Esha said in her sing-song Kiswahili.

" My wife has quite a few things to barter. Let's conduct our business at the market and there you can see the extent of it?" Spock suggested. The women agreed and all those gathered walked down the verdant knoll towards the market. The women chatted amongst themselves while the kids darted around between them like little beige streaks.

Watching Nyota pull up and cradle one of the chubby little toddlers, made Spock proud in their decision to come. She was the happiest he had ever seen her. With the child on her hip and making nice with the other wives Nyota shown like a jewel in his eye. He pointedly ignored his eagerness to make their own and instead planned for this evening.

He spied the square first but Spock could tell when Nyota did soon after as she gasped with delight. " It's so big?! Look at all the stands!"

Spock blinked in acknowledgement as he eyed the bright colored kiosks. Swathed in wax covered cloths to the goods, the market was a sea of orange, reds and yellows. The quiet hum of constant conversation tickled his ear and he say Vulcan and humans alike milling about the stands. Most were shopping for their evening meals while others took time to catch up with friends over hot, milky tea and snacks.

The kids raced ahead of them, making a beeline for another group of children feasting on treats. Honey sticks and roasted nuts that had been drenched in the same were among their goodies and the market children were hard pressed to part with them.

Esha made a melodramatic sigh as her two older children rushed ahead of the others to beg for a piece. " They will be wild this evening from all those sweets."

Adia grinned at Nyota and took her hand as she guided her near a clearing at the edge of the market. " The kids here as so spoiled! Our men here are from a sturdy stock it seems. These young ones don't get as sick as often as the others from our parent's nations. It seems their starblood don't catch so many illnesses but there are certain foods and liquids their bodies cannot tolerate. You will be happy with your brood once you start. It is hard to lose a child but you run very little risk here with the healers...are you expecting little sister?"

Nyota looked back at Spock's face and blushed furiously as she shook her head no. " No not yet...I...umm, could I set up shop here?"

" Of course!" Adia answered, helping Nyota to clear out the space of twigs and brambles.

Spock was not sure if Adia had caught onto Nyota's deflection at the mention of child rearing but it looked from Esha's full moon face that she had. She watched Nyota with curious but friendly eyes. " Do you have a blanket to display your wares?"

Nyota made a half hearted shrug as she tugged out one of her scarves. " I have this?"

Both women clicked their tongues in disapproval, waving the beautiful cloth away. " No no no no! You shouldn't spoil your shukas on the earth!"

Aida summoned one of her children near and pointed off into the distance. " Kosi, go fetch a blanket from the house and bring it back here."

" _Ayeh_ , mama." Kosi nodded as she dashed off through the bush. Nyota was startled by the young girl's speed as she disappeared into the dense greenery. " My goodness, are they all so fast?"

Esha nodded and patted at her nursing baby's back. " Yes, and strong and ravenous as well. Feeding my family feels like feeding a village! And this little cub gives his mama no rest!" she groused lightly patting his bottom. " He eats at me from dawn till dusk and that is in addition to food as well! After the two others I may just give in and ask a sister for help in feeding him."

Spock watched Nyota as she took in the tender scene between the mother and babe and felt her want of the same crept up towards the forefront of her mind. " How old is he?"

Esha looked up to the sky and squinted her eyes as she calculated. " Hmm let's see, maybe three and a half possibly four moons. Ugh when they are this young time runs together as you are deprived of sleep."

Nyota stared at the baby and back at Esha's jovial face. " Only four moons? He looks to be about a full summer at least!"

Esha laughed and shook her head. " Ah no, little sister, they are mixed with the Vulcan blood. They grow older and come of age much differently than you or I. My Ralek looks to be around my age but he tells me that he is sixty summers and I have yet to see him grow older from the 12 years we've been together. You husband and children will age differently as well."

When she looked back for confirmation he nodded and he felt something inside her plummet in response. " Nyota?"

" We will not age and grow old together? You and I? I will grow old and die and you will be left here alone?"

" Nyota it is…"

" Spock."

The deep voice of a male caught their attention as they all turned to face the pale blue gaze of his mating rival. He gave Spock an abbreviated salute and slowly blink of boredom. " Ah it is you. I heard you had come. Greetings."

The new Vulcan's eyes were fixed on Nyota. She fidgeted under his gaze and concentrated on her work with a scowl. Spock mumbled a bit of the same as he tried not to glare at him. " Greetings, Stonn."

Spock saw Nyota whispering among the women out of the corner of his eye. She no doubt sought to gain some knowledge as to what might be going on. Glancing back up at the male she issued a haunty huff and rolled her eyes. It seemed she got her answer.

" You claimed her."

" My wife? Yes of course I claimed her."

Stonn studied Nyota figure without a hint of emotion on his face. So stoic, so Vulcan and yet here he stood sorely illogical in his upset of Spock's claim. Yes, at one point he wished for Nyota but T'Pring under the pressure from Sarek to marry Spock had accepted his offer before Stonn could do so. Tired of being stared at Nyota looked up at him and sighed heavily. Spock smiled slightly to himself. " This is Nyota. In my eye she has no equal."

At his words Nyota blushed prettily and cast her gaze back down. Speaking in low tones with the women again she made some quip which made all three giggle. Stonn straightened and blinked at their antics.

" Figures. Half breeds are always partial to human flesh. T'Pring would have been wasted on an emotional degenerate had I not saved her from your attention."

The women looked to Nyota for a better translation which she provided with a nasty frown. Spock was use to such talk from full blooded Vulcan around his age. Always with their tired commentary about emotions and delusions of sound logic when it came to breeding. He was on the brink of pon farr, he had not the time nor the patience to entertain such snobbery.

" Interesting how your use _save_ is identical in definition to _purloined_ …for which you did. Tell me have you merely come to gloat about your thievery?"

Stonn narrowed his eyes and took a slow breath in. It would not become him to be seen stooping to Spock's 'level' but he would not let the slight to his character slide. " Strange that you did not challenge me and fight for what you felt to be rightfully yours?"

Spock stepped up behind Nyota closer and loomed above her possessively. Through their bond he drew her closer so she could regard his feelings towards her and those towards the Vulcanness T'Pring. There was no comparison at how much he cherished his wife to his neutral indifference towards Stonn's mate. She blinked up at him with wide eyes and the security Spock wanted her to feel was there in her face. Spock held his head up high and put on the air of superiority. " In a review of the circumstances I possessed the female worth contending for."

This conversation was not about her, so much as it was about Stonn trying everything he could to make Spock's life difficult.

He had been quiet about his feelings on the human on the Mara and those in neighboring cities but Stonn had found him out. Though no clear choice had been made, Stonn had zeroed in on Nyota as Spock's possibly favorite and made plans to mark her.

In sheer desperation to save her for himself, Spock played Stonn's covetous nature against him. In a very public display at the market, Spock had spoke with his father in the market about the Sarek's suggestion of T'Pring as a potential bride. He had never entertained the idea before but he had to believe in it for his plan to work. Vulcans on principle did not lie and had his father tested his inquiry by touch telepathy Spock would have been found out. Fortunately it had not come to that and his plan was set in motion. News of his possible engagement spread through the market like wildfire and reached Stonn just one day later.

And just as he predicted Stonn had seized the opportunity to trump Spock's hand and claimed the Vulcaness two days after. The day of their bonding marked not only the their marriage but Spock's freedom to claim Nyota as he wished. Stonn, no matter his contentment with T'Pring was sore at being had.

He looked down to Nyota's face and saw the heat in her eyes at his proclamation. The leopard was right, females did enjoy a show of a man's swagger. Such arrogance had to be done just so or it would turn her off as much as it could entice her. He had originally meant to be aloof towards her affections today but the more active approach of being an alpha Nyota seemed to fancy.

Snaking her arms around his flank she turned to Stonn as she laid her head to rest on Spock's torso. " My husband is quite gifted and I am more than satisfied with his role as my mate…"

She then pressed her lips below his pectoral and rubbed her cheek against it. Spock and Stonn blanched at Nyota's affection but for entirely different reasons. Stonn's face remained sagely emotionless while Spock's gave a quick flicker of adore. If he were to die, it would be done in happiness if only for this moment.

" As if you could be judge of such things, _T'sai_. I have heard about your frolic through the fields of the Mara with the herdsmen. Seems they thought you hadn't claimed her truly so they pushed you to do so there before them. I would have never entertained such...ancient foolishness."

" And you would have had her stolen away with your foolish logic. We did as we had to. How fortunate for Nyota that I was able to _rise_ to the occasion. It was not something I wished to put her through but I will do anything to protect and please her." he said flatly. He entwined their fingers and felt Nyota's gratification at his response.

Stonn huffed and narrowed his eyes. " That is illogical."

" That is _ashaya_." Spock countered. " Something that I believe you should experience for yourself with your wife. Live long and Prosper."

With that he turned his back to the blazing blue eyes behind him and took in Nyota's store front.

Stonn looked from one person to the next before muttering a stilted goodbye and taking his leave.

Esha and Aida broke out into gleeful laughter at the drama and spoke in rapid swahili with Nyota to be fully caught up. Spock noted the sun and his internal clock. He had very little time to meditate with a healer as long as he needed to before meeting with Ulihar this evening.

" Nyota, I must leave for the temple but will leave you in the care the wives. I require meditation."

She nodded and agreed happily. " Don't worry about me, I'll stay with them."

Aida bumped Nyota's shoulder with a smile before glancing up at Spock. " After the market, we will give her a queen's reception this evening. We'll return her to you in the morning if that's okay, _bwana_. (roughly means sir in swahili)"

" That is well with me. Enjoy yourselves and I shall see you in the morning." he answered.

Reaching out from within the bond, Spock swiftly embraced her like he was unable to do physically unless risking his control again. She hummed at the tickle of his affection and smiled at him happily.

" _Ki'din-tor nash-veh du._ " he blinked at her slowly and before turning towards the temple. As he left the women's field of vision Spock released the tremor he had been holding back. He shook so violently that he landed among the ferns. He made no attempt to right himself, thankful for a chance to rest somewhere cool and relatively private.

He had held so much back. So many shameful things. He had wanted to punch Stonn. No, not punch, he wanted to make the Stonn submit to his dominance for his past defiance. He had wanted to take Nyota thereafter right there in the market despite all who would see. He shut his eyes tightly tried to stomach his urges. He had wanted them to see, all of the villagers as he mounted Nyota. He wanted to touch her as his mind had this morning in the bathroom. He wanted to please her truly as he simulated against the tree. He wanted to fuck her.

He had never been so disgusted with himself. Stonn was right. So long as the miasma of his mating fever clung to him, his logic would continue to disintegrate until he was only left with his beastly base.

But as much as he was able Spock would never touch her unjustly.

A/N: thanks for the reviews, pm's and reading along. This will be beta'd soon


	13. Chapter 13: Spock's nightmare

A/N: A HUGE thank you to my betas for all their work in giving you quality grammar :D! Any mistakes you do spot is all on me and of course I apologize. I'm going to do my best in getting you chapter 14 but between my kids' illnesses this week and chores that sorely need to be caught up on I have lost a lot of time and still have very little in which to work. I would also like the betas to have a decent amount of time to review it so it may come on Monday or Tuesday instead of Sunday like I want but we'll see. In the meantime enjoy this 22 pages of prattling. LLAP

p.s. the turkana people are so flippin' beautiful. Google 'em

 _ **Later that day: Spock's evening**_

That evening Spock walked feeling the most refreshed that he had felt in weeks. Deep meditation and distance from Nyota's enthralling presence had wrapped him in a thick, but unfortunately quite temporary, blanket of peace.

The weather had further soothed him, the warm west wind blowing in over the lip of the crater into the lush valley below. As he gazed up to the first few dots of starlight flickering in the orange and purple haze he almost felt normal.

The color had almost washed completely out of the sky by the time he found Ulihar. Another sentry, Ralek, and sentry captain, Oratt, sat with him passing a gourd between themselves. Spock did not know the others sitting around the fire as well as he knew his bond brother but whatever moonshine they were imbibing and by their friendly disposition, Spock did not foresee any conflicts arising due to the imbibing of the shared beverage.

Oratt spotted him first and gave him a salute in welcome. The older sentry guard more closely favored Spock in his light sandy complexion but most certainly not the unruly mop of loose curls left to their own devices on the top of his head. His dark eyes studied him as Spock walked towards them and Spock noted that he suddenly blinked away whatever he had been thinking. " Spock- _an_ ( -an means mr. or mrs.), welcome. It has been a long time since we last spoke. It is fitting that we should do this again on such a pleasant evening. Come, drink."

Spock saluted him back and joined the circle. It was welcome to be among older peers again and not having his title insistently tossed around in either reverence or in jest by either his elders or his underlings. Tonight perhaps he could just enjoy the freedom of being himself with his brethren. He accepted the gourd as he folded his legs below him and took a hearty gulp. They stared as he stopped and immediately fell into a fit of coughing at the alcohol's burn. " _Bath'pa_ ( Vulcan curse word)! What is this concoction?" he asked hoarsely.

Ralek retrieved the woody pitcher and held it up for inspection. " Some sort of brew my Aida made. She had been distilling it for a while to make sure the affects would take strongly. She and Esha wanted to make something that human and Vulcan alike could drink and feel the effects of."

" I believe their experiment was successful." Spock coughed again, blinking away the water from his eyes rapidly. From the single swallow Spock's sinuses had cleared completely and his mind began to bob merrily from thought to thought. " However harsh it is to one's digestive tract, it is well fashioned ."

" Indeed," agreed Ulihar who extended his hand for another drink from the gourd. Turning to Ralek he looked at him with barely suppressed glee. " I hope Kibibi retrieved some of this from the market today before your bride and Loj'a's mate closed up their shop. My _sha'mi_ is a comical drunk. Two sips and she laughs to no end."

Ralek's finished his share and passed the gourd to Ulihar with a ghost of a smirk. " My precious Aida becomes a dancer. I never thought I would be enraptured by such motion but the way she dances…" he finished with a hum.

Oratt sniffed at their antics and licked his lips of the clean of the maize k'vaas cocktail he had been eating. " Skip Ralek the next go around less he goes off and disturbs the women by stealing his wife away…"

Ralek gave him a slow, mischievous blink. " Sweet Aida is at no risk of me spoiling her enjoyment," he hummed loudly. " In fact, I believe that my company would only see it enhanced."

The others quietly grunted and sniffed in amusement, as the alcohol tugged away at their inhibitions.

Ulihar picked up the container from which the gourd had been filled into Spock's hands and gave a slight nod of his head at him. " You keep it _t'hai'la_. We started long before you did and this _changaa_ ( Kenyan moonshine) is potent. We jest about bothering the women but if we were to drink more I fear that we might actually seek them out like a honey badger."

Oratt snorted loudly at the analogy which sent them the small group into a fit of Vulcan hysterics, which was nothing more than a chorus of humming and short, huffy breaths.

As they barely won their hard fought battle to contain their mirth, Ralek teased the bottle back out of Spock's hands and asked after the one thing Spock had been hoping to avoid.

" You still look quite green Spock. Your pon farr must have been a severe case if your body has not fully recovered?"

Ulihar motioned towards him with a quick jut of his chin. " I have seen the way he admires his bride. She is beautiful slip of a thing but not for long I imagine. Spock pined after her on the Mara like few I have known."

His bond brother startled slightly as a thought occurred to him and leaned over in his direction. " Do you believe her to be with child? That most likely explains her shyness. I heard accounts of her fierce tongue out among your herdsmen and was surprised by the timid little creature you brought by this morning." Ulihar hummed again. " Your first baby. Ah, let me drink to being an uncle, Ralek."

" Not yet, you _krin-tu_ (Vulcan wolf). You are merely looking for excuse to binge on this _changaa_. Spock has yet to tell any of us if his mate is in fact pregnant. Spock please enlighten us and this lout, did you and your beloved weather the mating time smoothly?

Spock looked down to his empty hands as felt their eyes set upon his face waiting patiently for his answer. Pon farr was not something one spoke of in polite company. However, these males were quite familiar to him and added to them was Ulihar who was bonded as kin. It was not uncouth of Ralek to ask such a questions, but because of the nature of his answer Spock still thought it forward of him.

There was no use avoiding this discussion he thought solemnly as he peered up at them. He could only hope that they had more sound advice to add to Ulihar's. " The fact of the matter is, I am still within the throes of it. I...have yet to mate with Nyota."

The crackling fire and Ralek choking on his drink were the only sounds to be heard now as his words stunned them all into silence.

Oratt was first to rise up out of his shock and question him. " _T'hy'la_ ( brother without the bonding or blood relation), why? Do you not know that your life is in danger? Surely you have felt the pain?"

Ralek sat up and swayed heavily towards him. " Spock your blood will boil out and your lungs will seize up from heat! You won't be able to oxygenate your body and you will die."

Ulihar stared at him before asking him carefully after Nyota. " Your wife? Does she not appeal to you as a woman would to a man? Did you find yourself craving a mate like Kovas?"

Kovas had been one of the few males among them that chose a male mate and Ulihar was trying to be sensitive to both Spock and their peer at his suggestion.

Spock shook his head and wrung his hands. " No, my desire for Nyota consumes me. She fears both me as well as intercourse and I will not force her hand now. I wish to give her time to get to know me and choose me as her mate willingly."

Ralek shook his head and looked at him earnestly. " Spock, you have very little time in which to achieve something that may take weeks if not months to do...how are you even walking sanely among us?"

Spock sighed as the changaa continued to burn through him and threw back his head to the sky. " I visited with Nirak at the temple. He pushed me through a guided meditation on the promise that I would seek to relieve the upcoming _plak-tow_ by _traditional_ means soon.."

Ulihar cursed and Oratt absently rubbed at his chin. He thought he saw the Oratt's small mouth frown in dismay at Spock's plight. Ulihar was scowling at him out right while Ralek rubbed at his face as if to clear it of emotion and discomfort. The liquor was eating at them of them now, Spock could see.

Ulihar exhaled sharply and stared at the fire. " You did not tell me until now...when are you going to Spock?"

When Spock reached out to him from within their shared bond, he recoiled away from him. Spock could feel that his bond brother was experiencing a great deal a pain over his predicament and was working to rid himself of the excess emotion.

" It figures you went to Nirak, T'Kaas would not tolerate your continued state of pon farr. That is why you walked so stiffly earlier in the rift. I thought you may have injured yourself with the antelope...but it's because you are dying…" Ulihar said slowly.

The tall Turkana Vulcan struggled with the strength of his anguish. The alcohol he imbibed earlier was doing very little to help him now. Cursing again Ulihar hid his face away with his hand so the others could not view his inner struggle. His face was unreined now and he did not want the shame of his expressed emotions being seen. " I do not want to lose you, _T'hai'la_ but what could you have me do to save you? I would no more push your wife than you would. That is not our way...but this curse of our ancestry calls for this... _sordidness_. I know little of how to help you and yet I would give anything in my power to help you live. _Why_ did you not come to me until now?!"

" Ulihar…" Spock started but the guardsman pushed back at him from within their bond.

" No. Your callousness offends me. Why would you have me lose _two_ brothers to the same affliction? Your honor wounds me," he spat bitterly.

" You would have me violate my wife's body?" Spock asked incredulously.

" No!" Ulihar growled despairingly. " I said it is _not_ our way. There is no reasoning such violence. Pon farr is a beast that bites both mates, taking consent away from each of them. I was no more able to say no to it than I am able to stop the sun from rising. I count myself fortunate that my Kibibi gave her all so willingly that I never had to consider such atrocious behavior but _T'sa-kai_ ( my brother)… "

Spock grunted in understanding and put his hand on the taller male's shoulder. " It is no small thing to lose a loved one...especially to something as preventable as _pon farr_."

Ulihar allowed his touch but reached out to the gourd for another swig to wash away his distress. Spock let the heartache of the other simmer and freeze at his fingers as Ulihar thought about his dead blood brother, Li'fal.

The younger sibling had been filled with hope as well that he would win his bride's heart like Spock. His fever, however, swept through him like wildfire and killed him the night of her retrieval. Only when their healer had melded with Ulihar the evening of to seek the nature of his sudden Bendii syndrome(1) like symptoms had she learned what had befallen Li'fal.

Ulihar had searched for his younger _sa-kai_ and found the bride still waiting on the culling rock untouched while his brother was a league away stiff and flushed emerald with his fevered blood still scalding his corpse. It appeared that the young Vulcan had tried to meditate the fever away in the mara when she rebuked him. Unaided and dejected, Li'fal had died there alone as he found his mental training unable to quell his body's volatile reaction. He used what little strength he had to prevent himself from returning to his intended.

Ulihar's mourning had known very few bounds in those years. Kibibi's bond to the guardsman had most assuredly played a hand in his healing but Vulcan grief was not so simple a thing to process. Ulihar had not only lamented over his brother's passing but _felt_ his death as well. It was not something he ever wished to feel with younger brother and the tall guardsman was hard pressed not to suffer it again with Spock.

" How far along are you?" Oratt asked curiously.

" I am not entirely sure...I would allow your touch so that you could check."

Oratt gave him a quick once over before shuffling around the fire to settle beside him. Spock turned his face and butted it against the outstretched hand Oratt offered. Stilling himself at the first pull of his mind, Spock lowered his shields and welcomed him in.

Melding was still a practice that the full blooded Vulcans highly revered but used sparingly. The typical partner was their mate and it was used to communicate emotions or experiences they could not exchange physically or with words.

Their offspring however used it far more often and with far more beings. Not solely human and not solely Vulcan, their children sought every way to communicate and navigate their way into defining who they were and understanding the world around them. This exchange easily fell within the boundaries of the mixed generation and was seen as normal for better or for worse.

The pale guardsman's psionic touch was unique as was every Vulcan's here. Oratt's mind was hot and steely, unlike the cool, airy touch of T'Kaas or the cold, glacial ripple of Ulihar.

/ Do I discomfort you?/

/ No. Please proceed./

Mind meld, due to their sensitive nature was a form of communication that begged constant reassurance from both parties. Here, there was no placid face or body to hold the maelstrom of emotions at bay. Feelings were made tangible and emotions flowed freely with very little resistance. It was imperative for those engaging in the activity to have sensitivity and their guards at the ready less the two minds blend together into a confusing jumble of empathy.

Trudging slowly through his mind, Oratt peddled steadily through Spock's thoughts in search of his hind-brain's biological urge. Spock exhaled at his prodding and opened himself further. The two navigated through the nexus towards each other, dipping down and around neurons that took on the guise of yellow wood trees with interconnecting branches and roots.

As they met, Spock slowly wound around the older male, lacing his psionic tendriled energy about him like rope. As the more proficient melder and and host mind, Spock took the lead in directing the sentry through him. With a gentle tug he guided Oratt over to where he felt Nirak had housed his mating fever.

There in the heart of his cerebellum sat his pon farr. It appeared as a molten ball of rock floating in the simple space of his hind brain. Oratt observed the rotating orb as it bobbed steadily closer towards Spock pons and medulla. It was seeking to gain control of his logical mind by routing itself through his brain stem but the healer had cooled the blaze until the stellar sphere only glowed and churned a hot, liquid red between the cracks at its surface.

Sensing their regard the hormone fueled compulsion gurgled and hissed as it increased its heat. Oratt balked away from its intensity and fastened his eyes on the violently heaving surface.

As if trying to communicate its needs the pon farr pictured Spock's activities that morning along the seam of a fissure. Nyota was featured in a haze, glowing in the midst of Spock's affection. Every inch of her body called to him. The longer they gazed the more his pon farr sought to devour Spock's reason and engulf his logic. With those barriers out of the way, Spock would be free to have her. She would soothe them and they would please her in return. It purled and hissed at them before expressing its thoughts in a way they could discern.

/ _Release me..._ _ **claim**_ _her...the female wants us..._ /

A large chunk of the sphere melted and flared at them. In the unfurling fire the pair felt the residual emotional markings Nyota had imprinted upon Spock in the heat of its tendrils. In their intense but brief encounters, Spock had sensed her desire. She wanted his markings, craved his large, nimbly hands but she was scared of their owner. Spock answered his pon farr's train of thought within his mind, speaking more to himself than either the visiting Vulcan peer or his agitated primal base.

 _/_ _I could never harm her...I love her...I am in love with her. It's you, he who is not me...that seeks to degrade me and defile her..._ /

/ Half truth... _I_ want what _you_ want... _ **her**_ … see for yourselves/

Their time against the tree in the mara had only whet his and his pon farr's appetite. Spock longed so sorely to reenact the scene in truth but Nyota's discretion held him in check. She had been fearful as of late, but of what exactly neither knew. Spock felt the tender bud of love being cultivated and nurtured between them but it was not enough to drive away her inhibitions.

/ You know what we must do... _release me_.../

The flaming sphere roared and flared into an inferno, blinding the pair in glaring flash of white. When Oratt reopened his mind the light had been replaced by thick, cloying darkness. Spock's cerebral presence was no longer folded around him and was nowhere in his field of vision. The hindbrain had swallowed and now held them within the veil barring the pon farr's movement.

/ Spock what is this?/ Oratt pressed.

/ My nightmare...for the last fortnight/

Oratt turned and twisted but saw Spock's logical lead psyche remained hidden in the dark void.

Within the abyss Nyota's voice floated, loud and lasciviously. When Oratt's sight adjusted everything had gone monochromatic in varying hues of gray. The perspective shifted in on itself and a vague view of the mara's fields came into being. Silver blades of grass fanned and bowed in an imagined wind as the vision brought the sentry towards Spock's mate.

Nyota was reclining in a shallow pool with her braids snaked out around her. A pale light of unknown origin glowed down on her nude body as she rolled from her belly to her back. Her skin shone like taut, goose pimpled satin as she writhed in the cold water. The only thing to adorn her was her white wedding collar and blue marriage necklace which stood out in the gray landscape like a beacon against her skin.

She was mouthing something but her voice had disappeared. Speaking into the murkiness Nyota continued when Oratt noted the shadow at her feet undulate and ripple. She beckoned to the shade and it rose up in a thick, black ooze. Nyota shook like a leaf and watched raptly as it gathered surrounding shadows rapidly grew larger. A sense of foreboding fell over the guardsmen and he knew it to be from his host's mind. _They_ was coming for her.

/ They? Not a single entity? Who is coming for her Spock?/ Oratt questioned. His calls went unanswered but he had a growing suspicion that he knew who _they_ were.

Loud snaps of cracking bones and wet, sucking pops of knitting muscle filled the air as the black miasma grew up and out tarry mass. Twisting limbs stretched and curled out from the center. The churning creature fell down into a into a crouch and screeched with an ear splitting scream.

Nyota stayed in place, waiting patiently in the pool as the being took form. She looked almost anxious to see him, he realized as she ran her hand over her belly. Shoulders soon appeared with a head swelling up intermediate of the broad width. The distinct curving point of Vulcan ears appeared as the spectre lurched towards her with clear intent. As he moved the onyx Vulcan's pelvis pushed up and out forming a cock as obscene as it was a point of pride. The long, heavy lok swinging down between his legs grew, began to stiffen and glowed with a resemblance that favored fiery mass of Spock's pon farr. No light reflected off of its surface as the fiendish wraith rose above the delicate, human female.

The conjured form was faceless and vaguely defined when it gazed at him, Oratt felt the demon's stare boring into him.

 _What was that thing!? Was it Spock's pon farr manifested? But he said they…?_ Oratt thought as he readied his shields. Spock's logical-led presence was still hidden from view but the sentry felt him shy away in the shadows at the sight. Where was he and why wasn't he stopping that thing?

/.. _._ Nyota.../

The figure spoke within their minds in a voice that was neither Spock's or any other male that they knew. Nyota shuddered and worried her bottom lip between her teeth. She murmured to it silently and sighed. Whatever she had said pleased the shadow demon as it responded by taking ahold of itself with a snarl that resembled laughter.

/ Mine.../ The voice echoed within them and Nyota froze in place at the sound. / Nyota.../

Nyota closed her eyes and laid her arms out at her sides in welcome. Her lips moved with more words but again there was no sound. As her legs folded open the shadow Vulcan disappeared in a swirl of smoke and reappeared in the space between her thighs with supernatural speed. Steam billowed around them like a thick fog as his body's heat evaporated the water below her. His lok bobbed against his abdomen in a vibrant, burning red as he crouched above her. From the cock's tip molten rock leaked down in viscous globs onto her prone body. She arched with a moan at the drops as her frigid body absorbed the heat and cooled the white hot lava to black shiny stone.

/ Spock...that can't possibly be...is that…?/ Oratt started but stopped as the e'shua turned and growled at him.

Turning back to his infatuation the volcanic beast hovered above Nyota's small frame and exhaled with a purr. Soot and embers came tumbling out of his nose like a stoked furnace.

/ This little bird has awoken me and made me _burn_.../ the shadow demon crooned.

The piceous male bowed its head and ran its tongue across the soft expanse of her belly. The water beaded along her skin sizzled and steamed at the heat of his mouth bellowed across her abdomen. Dipping lower he butted his faceless head between her sex and did something that Oratt could not see but heard Nyota keen in response. Loud humming smacks and huffy grunts floated out from the lap as the Vulcan spirit made a feast of the maiden's quim. She whimpered and clamped her thighs around his head as he lifted her hips from what was left of the water.

Oratt stood in shock as he took in the scene with mixed emotions. Never had he heard of any male partaking in the activity this shadow demon was now performing, let alone seen it done. And the fact that such excited him was revolting as it was embarrassing. Out of his guilt he felt Spock stir with similar feelings.

The faceless shadow Vulcan paid neither of them any mind as he lowered her body down with a delighted hum. Nyota sighed and cooed as the male then took up kissing up towards her face. When he came up to her face the shadow demon pushed her legs open further and ran his hand down between her legs. Watching her face he sank one, then two and finally three fingers inside her. Her breath caught in her throat as she took on a mournful expression as he groaned and rasped from his mouthless head.

/ Mine... _help me_.../

Oratt pitched his focus up and spied the light above them. What he had originally taken to be the sun had been Spock's body bound within the darkness. He was wrestling against the tar like bindings and trying to break free. The bubbling tar readily devoured his olive skin, encasing him in black like the figure below. As he railed against the flames Spock watched in clear panic as his mate was handled by the dark specter. Oratt gasped aloud as he witnessed Spock's gasping face engulfed by the tar and body morph into the same faceless head as the phantom Vulcan's below.

/ It is you…!/ Oratt mouthed soundlessly as he eyed the struggling Vulcan above. / You are a part of the they.../

Spock was not paying attention to him as he strained against the cloying tar. Unable to free himself he started to yell at his mate below.

/ _Nyota that is not me! I can not stop it! Do not touch her, you are soiling our bride! It was not suppose to be this way...my pon farr...it will devour us both!/_

The guardsmen looked back to the pair at the pool in wonder. So the obsidian Vulcan had been Spock the whole time but under the thrall of pon farr. He appeared larger and more brazen than a Vulcan would be as his hands cupped her breasts and fondled them hungrily. From the lack of interaction from Nyota and the limited reactions from Spock, Oratt concluded he was still in Spock's nightmare. So this is what he thought pon farr would be?

/ Do not touch her!…..Nyota do not burn.../

Oratt felt Spock's dismay as well as his eager desire as he picked up his mate by her hips into the air. Nyota hung in his hands with a look of need that Oratt knew only from his mate's face while the figure lowered her down towards his lap. Spock's imagination had jailed him and his actions were not his own...and yet…

/ _I can not stop myself...Nyota!_ /

The faceless male aligned his red-hot, glowing lok and took a hold of Nyota jaw in his massive hand. Turning her head with surprising tenderness, he brushed away the wet braids sticking across her neck and hummed. Nyota squirmed as the head of his cock prodded her entrance and whined as his mouth closed around her neck with hiss. The beads of her jewelry melted and ran together into milky blue rivulets down her torso.

/ _I never wanted you to see me this way.../_

Restraining her movements with his mouth on her neck and his hands on her arms, the spector continued to control them both. Slowly he began to push and pull inside her virgin channel, working himself deeper with each thrust. Nyota arched her back into him and made a plaintive, pleading noise with each pump of his hips. Within him Oratt sensed the fractured mind of his peer at war with the giant, obsidian Vulcan for control.

 _/_ Yes, so good... _No! Not like this.../_

As his lips withdrew from her neck an angry looking burn marred her skin and marked her as his. He regarded the mark thoughtfully and tugged her closer to his chest. It pleased him, she pleased him, this felt good. Cradling her tightly his arms warped vision of Spock crooned gently as he wedged his scalding body deeper. Nyota threw her head back with a strangled cry and shut her eyes against the foreign feeling of being impaled.

/ Nyota... _I'm a monster!/_

The Vulcan growled hungrily at the sound of her quailing and ran his hands over and through her hair. She tearfully leaned into his caress and let her body go limp as he withdrew and sank back in with a slow, dominating shove. The dark Vulcan pressed what would have been his mouth against her cheek and kissed at her tears with soothing sounds. Up above the mating pair Spock's logical psyche still struggled to break free and regain control.

/...only you satisfy me... _forgive me_.../

Nyota cupped the obsidian Vulcan's face and pressed her breasts against him with a high pitched sigh. Oratt gaped in muted horror as the personified pon farr cupped Nyota's rear and guided the maid up and down his febrile member with a lusty snarl. She leaned against the male's chest and whimpered in need. The demonic id groaned in relief as her cool body soothed the burning ache within him. Burying his fingers into her wet hair, the Vulcan pulled her lips against his featureless face and claimed her mouth with a hungry kiss. Nyota moaned feebly into his maw and clawed at his back. The thin, inky skin peeled away under her nails like ash and left glowing fiery welts in their wake. The shadow Vulcan jerked and slid out of her body with a wet, sizzling pop. Nyota collapsed into a panting heap on the empty pool bed beneath her. Pushing her up onto her hands and knees, the solid shadow held her hips and looked up to where Spock's presence was chained.

/ _...I am not that creature...that is not me!_ /

The incubus paid him no mind as he pushed inside Nyota's slick quim, inch by searing inch. The Spock's frontal cortex reeled in agony at the sight even as his lok dripped with arousal. When he was fully seated inside her the beast ran his large, coal hand down her wet back. He withdrew halfway and she mewled with a sigh. Tilting his head back up towards Spock the demon growled angrily.

/ I _**am**_ _you_...your female wants you, _I_ felt it...I _need_ her! Sate our hunger or I will take her for myself! Just as your father did with your mother.../

At the horrid threat another growl followed by a sucking splat sounded above them as Spock's ashen body broke free of the tar. He fell like a stone and landed in a heap at the base of the pool. He glared at the specter and bared his teeth. The shadow demon cocked his head and growled back at him.

/ ...Mine.../ Spock's voice hissed within their minds from the churning, molten sphere. Pon farr answered back with the same voice, snarling above Nyota with the same claim. As the voices echoed and grew louder Oratt looked down to see the darkness rushing toward him. Swiftly he released Spock's mind and retreated back to the confines of his own with a physical grunt.

Oratt shook visibly and exhaled with a groan. Spock shook his head vigorously to clear his mind of the other male's touch and the vision they shared. When the guardsman had parted without warning their minds had lurched violently as they tried to right themselves back to their singular state. The sensation was exacerbated by the alcohol coursing through their systems and left them quite disoriented.

" You are farther along than I had originally thought you would be. That highborn blood of yours has surely helped you in holding it at bay but none are immune to its effects Spock. Sorry to despatch from your mind so quickly. I was concerned that I might risk infection if I stayed melded any longer," Oratt said rubbing at his brow.

Spock nodded as he held his head in his now shaking hands. " It is a legitimate concern. I apologize for exposing you, I did not think that I posed a risk to you without actually being in _plak-tow_ …"

Some of the barrier that the healer had put in place hung raggedly like a torn veil in Oratt's haste to retreat. His pon farr wiggled and quaked along the broken seam like coagulated fat. It appeared almost reluctant to loose itself from its confines, but some of dark, sticky sap that had encased him in his recurring dream had managed to seep out along the bottom. Spock sighed as he mourned the loss of the barrier's strength. He wouldn't go back to the healer now to have the barrier repaired ...he could but Nirak would not be inclined to do so. And then there was T'Kaas's wrath at his ploy…

So the countdown to his plak-tow had resumed. Spock groaned with a small look of dismay.

Ralek eyed them both with a sniff and rubbed at his nose. He had grown uncomfortable with the growing displays of emotion on his brethrens' faces. " It is true that touching a male in plak-tow is best left to a female healer as it can instantly infect us males. The risk is very low when the subject is in pon farr but if you are close then there is no clear way of telling."

Ulihar grunted in agreement. " Clearly not the wisest meld to consent to but then again, we are all under the influence and all has ended well."

A quiet fell between them as they settled in with their thoughts and idly passed the gourd around once again. Spock sipped halfheartedly as he recalled the vision of him as a giant _e'shua_ taking Nyota in ways that were not only illogical but crude. If that weren't enough, a new dimension had been revealed to him in the dream when his biological compulsion threatened to force his hand against gaining Nyota's trust. He could not let that happen but he knew the urges were growing stronger every day. He needed more help than the healers had offered.

" _T'hai'la_ …," Spock started before clearing his face of his disquiet. " I am lost. I am in no way certain of what to do. Nyota has drawn closer to me everyday and yet I still feel her distance. I…"

Spock closed his eyes and bit the inside of his cheek. He felt a burn at his eyes that he never experienced before and it pained him as much as the burn at his side.

" Spock, do not hold your need back. We are here to help not to judge. We have all been in your place before."

" I fear I will die never knowing her love," he whispered hoarsely. " I will keep my word but I do not wish to welcome death and rejection. This thing inside of me would see her come to heel for its needs but I will not..."

Oratt blinked slowly while the others hung their head in thought.

He had never felt so alone, so afraid. For seven summers he had been so sure of himself, so certain that she would see his adore and return it only to be confronted with her disquieted fear. And then again in the Mara as he sunbathed. The sight of him bare of clothing had inspired arousal and trepidation inside her mind in equal measure. How was he to reconcile the two conflicting emotions when he was struggling with repressing his own? How could she love him when he felt from her what he imagined his mother felt towards his father? Was he doomed to fail, fated to become that faceless, rutting incubus? Or destined to die, uncherished, unloved and unknown?

" Spock...did you ever consider that Nyota's fear might be amplified by your pon farr?"

Oratt's query drew Spock out of his bleary musing with a spark of interest. " What do you mean?"

" In your mind...I saw your fear...it was so strong I could taste it," he said with a quick swallow at the recalled taste. " You were scared of losing yourself, of Nyota hating you because of what you were and...becoming like your father."

" I...I do not want history to repeat itself. If I am to have a human bride I will not act as _shamelessly_ as _he_ did with my mother."

" Spock... _pon farr_ …"

" He _raped_ her…And I am the fruit of that _k'lasa_ (sexual evil)! I shall not do the same. As much as I am able I will not be _that vulgar beast_ you witnessed."

Ralek made a small noise of wonder as he pondered over their exchange. " _Ah_ so it all comes to the light. You do not want to be like Sarek? Then be yourself, Spock _-an_. As for pon farr _t'hy'la_ you and every male must reckon yourself to it whether by debasement or death."

Spock shook his head and looked away from the fire. " What I want to do to her...what I feel when the pon farr is cast over me is prurient at best and debauched if examined at its worse…I am afraid of what that...me...what I am capable of. _Ashaya nash veh kosu_ ( This-one loves her)…"

" All this angst you feel, your fear is infecting your mate within the bond. What little fear she does feel is tripled when you do not quell your own and it will be more and more difficult to overcome it the longer you let pon farr eat away at you, you fool." Ralek slurred with his hand outstretched. " You of all of us logically should know this! Maybe those uncivil juveniles on the Mara have gotten to you but you were by far the most logical of us all. I wish you had not gone away from the village if only for your sanity. The elders sent you out from your studies as a scholar to become a herdsmen because you would influence those younger _Terra V'tosh_ for the better but... _pon farr_ is easier to weather when you are closer to your people and a healer. As unnatural as this...time feels...I assure you Spock- _an_ it is not something you should fear. Embarrassing, yes. Dangerous, only if you allow it to get away from you."

" But I do not want to harm her…"

Ulihar shook his head with his wolf tail bobbing wildly behind him. " We are not instructing you to, _T'hai'la_. You are not your _pon farr_ nor are you a child of _hu'a_ ( a mythical Vulcan succubus). Stand in the knowledge of who you _know_ yourself to be and love your mate as you wish to see her loved. And for all the teachings of Surak tell her what is happening to you! I will forgive you for your silence on your intentions but she may not if she knows you kept her ignorant of something as massive as your mating time."

Spock bowed his head at the scolding. It was true that Nyota if confronted with the notion that Spock had kept her purposefully blind out of fear, the knowledge he had to share may scare her away. She may see it as some sort of betrayal. " Truth. If I could brother I would make it that we had more time together, that pon farr did not get in the way of our courting. For seven summers I worked on the mara and for seven summers she prepared for me but how foolish it all is."

" Clarify?"

" How was she to prepare for a person she barely knew anything about? Yes she learned our language, some bits of our culture that were not lost in translation and folklore, but of me she knew nothing but fear and culpability. She did not know my pining, my pleasure at her singing, nor did she know that I would go far afield to see her satisfied."

" You are correct, reform is sorely needed. We have a growing population of hybrids among the full bloodied humans and Vulcans. As those of purely Vulcan pedigree die off we will be looked to as elders. We are in need of a better solution than what we currently have. Pon farr is not consent...for either party and morally there are many including myself who regret their actions towards their bondmates. It is a perverse thing to regret being alive at the expense of the cost, Spock, this I know but perhaps there can be a solution in the future?"

Ralek offered. " Why wait during those seven years to live with our brides? We have enough humans here to act as elders for them? And the transition between the cultural divide will be far less jarring."

Ulihar hummed pulled out a pouch of dried fruit to chew on. " For once Ralek, logic does not escape you."

Ralek practically rolled his eyes and snorted at his comrade. " Remind me once again Ulihar why I even associate with you?"

Ulihar tilted the gourd and swallowed down his food with the drink. " Partly because I have remained cordial to you but mostly for Kibibi and Aida's sake."

Ralek huffed back in amusement and took the gourd back. " Ah sweet Aida. My wife does not know the lengths I go to to ensure her happiness."

Spock stirred from his thoughts and gestured to Ulihar to gain his attention. " In honor of your brother's valor I will see to it that I go before the council and seek the changes that we spoke of. A male should not die and a female should not be raped just so pon farr can be weathered. If I survive _T'hai'la_ I will give you this gift."

The bond between them warmed and tightened as Ulihar took in his words. Lighting his hand on his shoulder the sentry stared at Spock with eyes of sincerity even as his face remained free of it. " _Itar-bosh_ ( This-one values thine gift/ To thee much thanks is given)" he said quietly in high Vulcan.

Spock took his gratitude in stride and nodded. It was the least that he could do for all of them but he knew how much it would mean to his bond brother.

Ralek offered the gourd with an outstretched arm and sighed in discomfort. " I believe this will be the last time I drink with you three together. I came to relax here and all you are plodding point by point logical deductions as to how Spock should mate. Surak help us."

Oratt narrowed his eyes and took the gourd away from him. " What then do you propose we expound upon then?

Ralek sniffed, almost smiling with his excitement as he leaned in close and beckoned the others closer. " If we teach that-one anything," he said with a bob of his head towards Spock. " We should tell him about how best to woe her."

" Come again?" Spock asked suspiciously.

Ralek closed his eyes and lifted his hand up to hold Spock's protest. " This-one will help you, S'haile, just parlay with me."

" You have my attention."

Ralek clasped his hands and ran his hand across the stubble of his chin. " Mates of all walks, whether male, female, Vulcan or human appreciate their mate expressing their ashua. Here are a few ways to do so."

The conversation dissolved further and further until the men were slurring more than they were speaking normally. One by one they dropped like flies under the pull of alcohol's bite and were soon fast asleep.

xxxxx

A rustling in the brush woke all four but noise grew closer Oratt and Ralek bowed their heads back down onto the mossy soil. Spock started to stir but Ulihar motioned him back down and stalked over to the noise at his full height.

Unusual, Spock thought as he eyed his bond brother. Why would a sentry go and investigate something and not crouch? Where was the element of surprise if he walked over casually?

Ulihar came to a halt in front of a large row of ferns and went into a squat. Parting the feathery leaves he revealed the dark, smiling face of his mate, Kibibi.

" _Umenipata_ …( You found me)!" she whispered loudly noting the Spock and the others lying still on the ground. She spoke softly out of courteous but their hearing picked up her voice as if she were talking.

" This-one always does. For someone so small you sure make a great deal of noise, k'diwa," he teased pulling her out of the brush and into his arms. Tangling his fingers with hers he continued to speak in Vulcan with the aid of their bond and the link from skin to skin contact to aid in translating his words. " You sought this-one out?"

As she nodded Spock was struck by how simple communication had been with Nyota. She was always quite astute in her studies and took to Vulcan like a hippo to water. There were some words she'd learn or have to repeat to say them clearly but for the most part she had been thankfully fluent. It appeared they were in the minority in that regard as Spock had frequently seen other hybrid mates communicating in a similar fashion to Ulihar and Kibibi.

Ulihar crushed his mate to his against his torso and bent to lift her into his arms. She went willingly and curled herself against him. Spock watched intently as his bond brother nuzzled his face along Kibibi's cheek with a tenderness that belied his affection.

She wrapped her legs loosely around his waist and cupped his face with a soft expression of concern. " _Wewe ni huzuni...Nihisili._ ( You were sad...I felt it)."

Still bracing her with one hand Ulihar brought his other hand up to cover one of hers on his face. " Yes, I was grieved. Sorry that I did not shield you from it...I thought of my brother this evening...and I worry about another."

Kibibi hummed in comprehension and brought his forehead down to greet hers. " _Hawana kuwa pole. Samahani, mpenzi. Mimi niko hapa sasa._ ( Do not be sorry. I am sorry, love. I am here now.)"

Ulihar huffed and stared at her with his one good eye. " I am glad that you are here. You have always been there for me, _t'sha-mi_."

Kibibi tilted her head and caught her husband's lips with her own in a chaste but lingering kiss. " _Nakupenda_."

Ulihar's chest rumbled with a loud, rolling purr while his arms drew her closer. " Say it again…"

Kibibi moved her head so her mouth was near his ear. " _Nakupenda_ , Ulihar."

His face shifted briefly at the swell of emotions before smoothing back into a blank slate of indifference. " _You_ are all I need," he murmured softly, brushing his fingers over the long braided crest running down the middle of her scalp. " Kibibi…"

Without prompting he bent at his knees and launched himself into the air and snagged a low hanging branch of the Fountain tree above them. Kibibi held him tighter as he worked his way up and through the branches until he chose a perch to settle on. Putting his back to the trunk he turned his mate to have her back along his chest and wrapped his long, thin arm possessively around her.

" _Kwa nini sisi hoja_? ( Why did we move?)" she asked snuggling back behind him.

Ulihar dipped his head along her jewelry collared neck and used his free hand to hold hers. " One of those drunk perverts is awake down there...I will not have them gawking at you."

Spock scoffed loud enough to be heard and dodged as Ulihar swiftly pitched something in his direction with a growl. " There is one now. Miscreant, eyes off my wife."

Kibibi giggled at their antics and pushed away his face with her hand when he refocused his attention on kissing her. He hummed and chased after her fingers with his mouth making her laugh more. " I am most serious Kibibi. I can feel their eyes on us. They want to see if this leopard devours the lamb."

Kibibi scoffed and tugged playfully on his wolftail. " _Mlevi chui knnot mbili kitu. Kuwa makini sijui kabisha wewe nje ya mti huu...changaa pumzi…_ ( Drunken leopards can't do anything. Be careful you don't fall out of this tree...moonshine breath.)" she snickered.

Ulihar sniffed in mock offense at snapped his teeth at her. " I can still do plenty, drunk as I am. I estimate that I will last about six and a quarter minutes in the act of doing so but I assure you little one they will be some of the best minutes of your life...be careful that I do not put a child in your belly. I feel strong tonight."

" _Wewe ni matumaini_ …( You are hopeless)," she chuckled batting away the wandering hand at her side.

He nuzzled his face into her mohawk with a playful snarl and nipped at the round shell of her ear." You are safe...for now. I have an appetite for your mind instead. Come and give me your thoughts."

She smiled and bent her head to rest back along his chest. With an eager hand Ulihar sought out her temple and hummed as he felt the first warm rush of her mind against his fingers.

They sat then quietly on the thick branch, murmuring aloud every now and then as they exchanged the details of their day. As they dangled their legs on either side of their perch, Spock studied them with a hollow jealousy. That was what he longed for with Nyota. His biological compulsions had jaded his outlook on what they could have but with this visit to the compound and the parlay with his seniors had reminded Spock of what could be shared between them.

Kibibi still spoke with Ulihar primarily in Swahili but they had not hindered the love shared between them. If anything their differences complimented each other as Ulihar's protective nature was sated with someone who had a history of not being defended. They were growing together and Spock knew the same could be true with his mate if he soothed both of their irrational anxieties.

Spock more than anything wanted to love Nyota and she practically emoted the need to be cherished. Molly coddling wouldn't do as she was strong willed and independent to a fault but Nyota wanted the same tenderness Spock desired to give her. She had been lonely for so long that perhaps being so intimate so suddenly had jarred her senses. Spock had initially read it as fear of his alien nature but...it was becoming clear that Nyota was not used to being loved.

His pending plak-tow still worried him but there would be plenty time for gentleness after and a little snippet before. No more projecting his illogical fears of a future that may not come into being he thought as he blinked up at the necking couple above.

It seemed that he was the only one that found Ulihar's courting endearing because Ralek rolled over with a huff and groused up at the two lovers. " All that chatter is keeping me up Ulihar. Go elsewhere, give her those six minutes you were bragging about so this-one can get his sleep. I have first watch at dawn."

Ulihar exhaled sharply and released his mate from their meld. " If you wanted sound sleep then you should have made your bed at home, Ralek."

" Even then I still would be subject to you prattling on about your prowess and might, no matter how limited. Go to sleep, you have the watch after me."

" _Me_ nag _your_ ear? Of all the nerve. You subject the whole mara to your raucous mouth. I should have told Spock that during your pon farr I scouted outside the forest because I thought I heard a dying water buffalo but instead found you and your mate at the culling rock. Do not tell me that I am loud as I whisper sweet nothings in my mate's ear."

Ralek sighed in annoyance and rolled up to his feet. " Your prattling never ceases. What I sound like is a matter of opinion not fact. No sense in staying...I will no longer be allowed to sleep. You Turkanas are a loud bunch."

" _Kuwa na siku njema_ , Ralek. ( Have a good day)" Kibibi whispered softly with a wave.

Ralek seemed to deflate at her sincere kindness and gave her a sleepy salute. " The same to you as well _T'sai_. Hmm Ulihar do not be late to your post, I believe I will require a respite today."

Ulihar hummed and stroked Kibibi's soft, pouchy belly. " I am sure you will already be napping at your post when I arrive…"

" Ralek leave for your post, Ulihar stop your jesting and Spock stop feigning you are asleep. There is no way you could possibly slumber with these two bickering like _kanlar_ …"

Their eyes fell on Oratt as he sat up from the ground blinked down at the empty gourd beside him. " Fortunate for us that we have such a rapid metabolism. I was sure I was going to be in pain this morning. Ralek take the south entrance, I will take the north today. Spock walk with me."

Spock went to his feet and felt his head tic to the side. Again restlessness coursed through him but not as sharply as when he arrived. He was grateful for the sound sleep he did get as it mildly rejuvenated him. " I am coming."

Kibibi moved and shuffled forward on the branch. " Spock-osu, mke wako anataka kuona wewe. Yeye atakua kuita mto. Kwenda peke yake. ( Sir Spock, your wife wishes to see you. She will be waiting at the river. Go alone.)"

Spock looked up at Kibibi and away out of respect for her and Ulihar and questioned her. " What is the nature of the matter? Why does she seek to see me outside the mountain walls? Why at the river?"

" _Sina mke wako. Kwenda na kuona mwenyewe._ ( I am not your wife. Go and see for yourself)" she chuckled and leaned back against her mate.

Ulihar hummed with amusement of his as he wrapped his arms around her. " You heard my lady. Go speak with Oratt then go attend your mate. So I can attend to mine in peace."

" You are shameless, _T'hai'la_."

" No, I have some shame but I possess even more pride."

Spock sighed and gave the pair a salute and fell in step with the departing Oratt. The pale captain led them back to the road in a leisurely gait as the sky began to pale and the stars began to fade. Crepuscular mammals and birds alike were filling the air with songs and noise as they roused from their beds along with the Vulcans.

Swifts trades with the nightjars and owls with hawks as they dotted the sky in search of breakfast as their began to soar on the growing thermals.

Spock blinked up at black outlines against the ombre effect of dawn as they walked under the tree canopy in companionable silence. The lingering link between them let Spock sense the sentry's thoughtful countenance. Melds between those of Vulcan descent often times made such links but as time passed they faded just as the sky did in color. Just as Spock was musing over what Nyota's requested rendezvous would bring Oratt finally broke their silence.

" I did not want to discuss in front of the others what I beheld in your mind."

Spock nodded in appreciation and clasped his hands behind his back. " I am grateful although I believe such intimate details to be safe with Ralek and Ulihar."

Oratt gave a brief nod and adjusted his belt as he thought over his next words. " Ashaya between you and your mate is not only possible but true. In my passage through your mind I sensed it. It was a small, fragile thing but real none the less. I can appreciate your hesitance if not reluctance to put that love in jeopardy but I must speak to the knowledge I have. Not of intercourse or demonstrations of affections like the others but of your bond as mates."

" Please speak you peace."

Oratt tilted his head and exhaled thoughtfully. " I cannot speak as one married to a human as T'Bes is a hybrid like you and I, but what I do know is being married is a trying matter. Bonded as we were she and I still came into our married life with unspoken expectations and a lack of communication. I thought her spoiled while she considered me frigid. Our first few days were fraught with conflicts. It was a joy to be on duty, away from the strife of our struggling relationship, but the tension in our bond was like a thorn broken just beneath my skin with no way of removing it. She seemed equally discontent so when she approached me about _pi'pil'lai_ I was in no way surprised."

At the mention of divorce by way of severing their bond link Spock snapped his head over to stare at the captain. " She wished to sever your bond? Are you still bonded?"

Oratt blinked at him and Spock fell quiet for him to continue. " I told her that it seemed like a comfortable prospect but not a logical one."

Oratt took a deep breath as if reliving the memory. " I told her to list the reasons for performing the _pi'pil'lai_ and for each one listed we discussed ways in which to resolve it. I went next and felt my emotions validated by our discussion and her listening. By the end of it we were closer to each other than we had ever been at any time before or after our bonding. It had not been our lack of compatibility but our lack of understanding. To this day T'Bes will ask after my day and speak of hers and we discuss how those events and activities made us feel through a meld. It has strengthen us in a way that did not think emotion could, but we are part human Spock."

Turning to face him Oratt continued. "You are easily one of the most Vulcan in bearing among us but your mate seeks to know you so she can trust you with her all. She may come from a different tribe than most of the human females here but all the stories they have been told have been the same, to not trust the mgeni or whatever profane name the refer to us as. Your mate has come to see that you not only care for her but love her but she needs a space in which to trust you to love you back. Let her know your fears, speak plainly and when words fail you meld with your beloved and show her what your mouth can not express but what your heart feels. It is the most logical solution for a most illogical emotion."

Spock looked down at the ground as they padded slowly down the road and pondered over the captain's words. T'Bes was widely known as one of the beauties of the Vulcan compound with few coming close to her unique looks.

She was quite different from Oratt in complexion with the dark, richness of her complexion and she was a good deal softer looking. She was known to be a homebody with her studies of astronomy, but the striking beauty of her face had a way of expressing her emotions without even moving. The full blooded Vulcans said it was her human eyes but the hybrids among them knew it to be something more profound. She was a perfect balance of her parents and both halves were harmonious.

Oratt admitted to anyone who asked that her peaceful disposition was more attractive to him than her plush lips and large eyes but in his effort to possess her he began to stifle the trait he held so dearly.

Spock was glad to hear that they had resolved their differences and now mirrored the balance that T'Bes had within herself. The more he weighed Oratt's account against his own the more Spock felt it to be sound.

" I must thank you for your words. You have helped me a great deal."

Oratt bobbed his head in a way that signaled a yes and a no. " It was no burden. You are the bond brother of my sentry and I know him to be a good judge of character and you to be quite reasonable. Any help I had to offer I was more than willing to give you Spock."

There were rounding the bend which opened up to the market and divided off to the crossroads for the gates. The small river that almost ringed the mountain was closest to the south gate while Oratt needed to take his post to the north.

" Thank you again for all your guidance, _Osu_. I am sure that it will go far in alleviating any undue pressure that I have placed on _t'pi'lara_. Live long and prosper."

Oratt gave him a crisp salute and a tug within the temporary link between them. " Peace and long life, _S'haile_. Remember _who_ you are and the rest will follow."

Spock gave him a clipped nod and the two of them parted ways.

(1) Bendii Syndrome - a rare and fatal neurological disease typically affecting Vulcans over 200. It has been recorded to cause fatigue, fever, a loss of muscle mass, and a progressive loss over one's ability to control/handle their emotions. Featured in TNG: Unification I when Ambassador Sarek suffers under the throes of the harsh disease.


	14. Chapter 14: Spirit Revival

After Spock departed a number of women came to view her wares. Nyota was surprised at the amount of tea she sold. Rooibos was a rarity in the area, so its appeal among the shoppers was high. Its origins were to the far distant south and only found naturally in the mountains there. Nyota had sold nearly all the sun cured leaves before the first twenty visitors came and almost all of the purchasers were Vulcan. It appeared that the penchant for tea extended beyond her husband and was indeed commonplace among his people.

As she bagged half a moon's worth for her latest customer, Nyota took a chance in asking over the mass appeal of her product with the Vulcan mistress that requested it. Her looks were distinctly Vulcan and her large eyes and full, upturned lips welcomed one to interaction. The Vulcan seemed pleased to answer. As she picked up Nyota's fluency in her language, she expounded on how the floral bush did not tolerate the loamy soil of the dormant vulcano's crater. The site had been a double edge sword in growing crops for the homestead. Most of their own native flora had done surprisingly well while some of the plants they coveted of Nyota's homeworld liked to stay put in the places where they were found.

"You see, the heavy mineral deposits, average nitrogen levels and sheer volume of water found in the soil here affects Rooibos taproot's ability to take hold."

"Ah so the ground here is too damp and rich for the bush?" Nyota concluded, handing her the folded square of cloth which contained her tea.

" Precisely. Well met, T'sai Nyota. Live long and prosper."

" Oh yes, umm, peace and long life…"

" T'Bes," the Vulcanness answered with mirth in her eyes. " Until we meet again."

The sable colored Vulcan dame bowed her head and took her leave with her hand on her rounding belly.

As Nyota watched after the retreating figure, Aida bumped her with her shoulder. "She's pretty, isn't she? She's half human, you know."

"Truly?" Nyota asked in surprise. True, she once thought all the Vulcans would look more or less like Spock, but in her short time in the village she had witnessed a great diversity in their skin tones. T'Bes was nearly the same color is Esha, but their hair had a quite different texture. While Esha's coiled springs were closely shorn and smeared with red ochre, the Vulcanness had her long, wavy strands in a complicated but loosely braided style. "How would I be able to tell?"

Esha scrunched up her face and shook her head. "It is beyond me and most other humans to discern such differences, but the full blooded Vulcans can do so. Somehow I feel that even if they had never met before or knew the heritage of such beings, they would be able to sense the human in them."

Aida nodded as she helped a customer with the purchase of Nyota's beaded gauge earrings. "I can see it in their faces. The ones with mixed blood are more prone to showing a smile or a frown, while the others have faces like stone."

Nyota nodded as she thought of Spock and his lack of expression. For the most part he had appeared largely aloof and indifferent, but she had seen his face contorted out on the Mara. As he put Rovoc into his place with a sound beating, Nyota could hardly forget the fearsome looking scowl that had come over his face. Or that pained look of pleasure as he came against her.

Nyota swallowed and pulled at a braid near her ear. Such thoughts would get her nowhere. Hoping to refocus her attention on something less lewd, she watched the children at the market's edge. They were in two lines standing in opposition with linked hands. Their faces wore smiles as they shouted at the rival team and sent over whoever the rival chose to try and break their link. As some succeeded and others failed, Nyota was surprised by the laughter she heard coming out of their mouths.

" They're...laughing? What…?"

Esha pushed her share of tea to the side before the last of it was bartered off for some much needed glass beads for jewelry making. "Ah yes, the children are quite unique, eh? They look very much like their fathers but act like their mothers. As they grow older, their feelings…"

Esha closed her mouth and bobbed her head as she thought of how best to describe what she wanted to convey. "Their emotions grow stronger and they seek out their father's people to help them control them. My boys sit quietly with their father every evening and reflect on their day and visit the healers at least three times every moon to refine the practice."

" Ah I have seen Spock do the same but far more often than once a day."

Aida, who was still aiding in selling Nyota's jewelry, added her piece. "Yes but he's a grown male and Esha's little ones are just boys. Can you imagine having a human child sit for a candle's worth of light quietly on their sleeping mats? I think not. The same goes for these little ones, they are still learning how to master what they need in order to survive."

"What do you mean?" Nyota asked suddenly alarmed.

Esha made 'tch' sound with her lips and rearranged the jewelry on the cloth to her liking. "It is not such a dire thing as Aida makes it, but it is strange. Look there at that tall girl there. See how she does not smile or laugh as the others?"

Nyota nodded as she spotted the willowy youth, lanky with her new found height. "Yes, I see her."

Esha moved her hand about her face as she went on explaining. "She barely moves her mouth and brows anymore. It's like her spirit has gotten trapped inside. Once they are ten summers old their fathers lead them out into the bush and have them survive on their own for over half a moon. When they come back they are always the same. No more laughter, no more tears, only stillness. The transformation from human like child to a Vulcan one is frightening with its suddenness but I know my son will need it. Even now when Oja is very happy or sad, he goes to his father for help suppressing his emotions. I asked him about it and he said though he likes to laugh and sing and dance, the emotions born of those things make him feel like he's no longer in control of himself."

"You mean he just gets wound up?" Nyota suggested, having experienced many young cousins that were hyperactive.

Esha shook her head and clucked her tongue. "No, no sister, it is much worse. The emotions when he feels them almost take over his body, they are so strong. It's like they have a mind of their own and when my poor Oja feels them it's like...hmm what is it...possession, eh? He is not happy, happy is him. The same with anger, fear or sorrow, all these things can be very tiring for their little bodies to deal with, but their time out in the bush helps. They take that time to commune with the land and take hold of themselves."

Nyota blinked at the news and nibbled her lip. Her family was shaping up to be a complex one. She would have children that grew rapidly in size despite their age but would need Spock's help in suppressing their emotions. How strange to think that one day she would see their chubby cheeks smiling only to be replaced with a stern look before their reached adolescence. Would she be a strong enough mother to handle the change? Would they still be able to love her after their stay in the mara?

Aida tsked and rubbed Nyota's back. "Oh sister, look at yourself! Stop picking up burdens that are far ahead of you. Do not worry about such things until they need to be dealt with. Besides, you have us now and we have all been in your place. These people, as strange as they may be, genuinely care about us and their children. As long as they are here there is nothing they won't do to help their offspring. What you should trouble yourself over is all this new wealth of yours!"

Nyota looked at the neat little cache she had gathered and was pleased to see some much needed items for her home. In her trading she had exchanged with many vendors from neighboring stands that were curious of the new saleswoman. Swatches of fabric for clothing and bedding, tubs of dried paint for their walls, a few spices and a spool of wire were just a few of her favorites items.

"Don't know how I'm going to get all this to my in laws…"

Aida waved her concern away and called for Esha's two older sons. The two bronze juniors ran up and asked after their auntie. The two had their mother's beautiful full lips and round face but their complexion was not as rich a shade of umber.

"Yes, Auntie Aida," they said in unison.

Their faces flashed between smiling and indifference as their biological duality churned through their emotions. Aida cupped an ear on each boy's head and smiled at them tenderly. "Could you deliver Auntie Nyota's goods to Auntie Amanda's home? Just tell her or _bwana_ Sarek that it is temporary. You do this errand thoroughly and quickly and I will personally see about getting you both your own sticks of honey."

At the mention of honey, the two perked up and immediately went to work. " Yes, Auntie Aida!"

In a great show energy and strength the pair gathered up half the collection in their arms. They started to reach for their bags when Esha tsked them away with a wave of her hand. " Eh! Don't be lazy and try to carry all this at once! You will drop and break her things and where will that leave you, eh heh? Go and take what you have and leave the bags for the last run."

They nodded and went off in an easy lope.

Aida had left and just arrived back with two long wheat blades covered in dry honey. She handed the stocks to Esha and settled back down alongside Nyota. "Ah, it seems you have sold almost all of your lot. It was a good day for you."

Nyota smiled brightly and picked up the last few pieces of jewelry. "Yes, it's been a great day actually. Thank you two so much for your help in the market. Here, take any of these that you like as payment for your time."

Both of the women protested the thought of payment but agreed to take it as a token of friendship. Nyota helped in fitting on the bands and hair ornaments in swift, practiced motions. Each of the women took turns complementing the other and spoke of how well crafted the pieces were.

"My, my Nyota, they taught you a lot back in your home village. Did you practice beadwork quite a bit?"

She hummed with a nod and straightened the new bangled collar that she had fitted onto Aida's neck. "Yes, even with my chores. I had a lot to do but there is still so much to learn. And then Spock…"

Nyota stopped midsentence and looked over to the side. "I...he has not been himself."

Esha immediately looked alarmed. "Has he laid hands on you?!"

"No! Heavens no! He has been quite kind in fact. It just seems like he's grown ill as of late."

Aida patted her necklace and turned her face to look back at her. "What do you mean?"

"Spock seems sick...as if his essences is killing him from lack of expression," she coughed, embarrassed by the confession.

"What? You mean his…?"

Nyota looked about before making a motion with her fingers to denote intercourse. "It's like his semen is weakening him. We have not coupled yet so…"

" What!?" Adia and Esha both screeched. Nyota shushed them and they quieted down. Their eyes however were still as round as their mouths in surprise, leaving Nyota feeling small and exposed.

"I mean I just...I want to but I...just can't."

Esha furrowed her brows and looked to the now troubled face of Aida before turning back to Nyota. "Sister...did they cut your _kuma_ (vagina Swahili) improperly? I know...that sometimes they stitch the hole of your _yani_ (vagina Swahili) up after such things are done. I know that would make it very difficult to let your husband break through and be quite painful for you. Aida and I could take you to the healer now? One of them would reopen and cleanse your _kuma_. That way you could have your way with your husband more comfortably, eh?"

Nyota shook her head bashfully and held up her hands. "Oh no, I was never cut. My village does not practice that rite anymore after the Vulcans started rewarding more richly for brides that were intact."

Both of them hummed at her answer but still appeared puzzled. Aida followed up with her confusion. "I do not see sister what is the problem. Your husband is far from ugly."

"And from the bulge I spied pushing against his loincloth he looks to be in working order…" Esha snickered. They laughed as Nyota bit her lip and fought from shirking away. This wasn't her. She had never suffered from being bashful before. Ever since she started living with Spock, the thought of him being inside of her plagued her mind night and day. What was this?

Nyota groaned and rubbed her face with her hands. The two mothers noticed her reaction and soothed her back. "Nyota, he is your husband, not a monster."

"Are you two so sure? Really? Will he not lose control and show me a side of himself the legends of old were based off of? As much as I care for him and...want him, I feel something from him...that I don't understand...and it scares me."

" Oh…," the two said in unison, nodding to themselves. " Oh, little sister...you don't know…"

Nyota looked back and forth from their faces and shrugged. " Wha..? What do I not know?"

"A lot, hahaha!" Aida cackled. "But that's okay, you'll learn more than you ever wanted to tonight. But first we have to prepare for the evening's festivities! Esha and I have some spirits for you and the others, but we have to lug it up to Loiyan's house. She'll be hosting us tonight as we cook and trade dishes for our families tonight."

"Who will watch the children?"

Aida watched as the kids gathered the rest of her goods and ran with them back to Nyota's in laws. "The infants stay with those who are nursing while the older ones sleep over at their grandparents. Something that we and the Vulcans can both relate to is family and these people love their grandbabies. It helps a good deal when you are with child and you need your rest. Toddlers don't understand you being tired or sick."

Esha excused herself and helped with directing where the rest of their purchases should go as her sons came back for for their reward. "Ladies, I have to see to this. Nyota, go with Aida and I will see you later, eh heh?"

Nyota bowed in thanks while Esha rationed out some sweetened grass and waved her goodbye.

Aida took her hand and together they walked through the market and around the village square. Though a good deal quieter than any other market she had been to, the Vulcan village was bustling with activity. Nyota let herself drift into the swell of sound and people as she marveled at her new home village.

It felt surreal. So many things were familiar and yet the faces had all changed. Colors looked more vivid, the spice vendors' stands smelled more pungent and the music of all the surrounding languages made her feel dizzy as her mind worked to translate them.

Everywhere she looked Vulcans had merged with the land and the people. Strange looking runes adorned most everything from clothings to food stands.

"Must they label everything? Anyone can see that's a cobbler stand," Nyota fussed in confusion.

Adia laughed and squeezed her hand. "Yes, I know what you mean but you haven't seen the half of it. There is a whole house full of runes. Vulcans talk plenty but they seem to record just as much. It's how they like to study. Instead of going out to learn something and coming back with verbal instructions they like to sit back and record their observations in runes. I guess it will help if you didn't feel like speaking with anyone, but being an elder of instructions is a great honor! I don't know why they would take such a position away and replace it with a booklet of runes?"

Nyota was glad for Adia's sympathetic company. Spock wouldn't know what it was like to move from everything you knew and have it replaced with some sort of alien double. Though the transition had been relatively simple, Nyota was still felt her former everyday life was cast under a lurid light.

The scent of roasted tubers and spicy curries filled the air and Nyota groaned with longing.

"Have you eaten your second meal?" Adia asked looking at her forlorn expression.

"I have not and I am famished."

"Then let me treat you. You gave me too much jewelry for me not to."

Nyota was relieved as Adia led her over to the busiest stall and ordered up some curry filled chapatis and other morsels which Nyota did not recognize.

If she reflected long enough, Nyota noticed how little she had eaten since Spock's retrieval. Fatigue and the desire to sleep had been chasing away her appetite as she had been struck with a mild depression. Slowly, with a bit of routine and growing comfort with her husband, her appetite had been returning to its former voracious glory.

Aida ordered chapati wrap for each of them along with some Vulcan fruit mixture served inside an edible peel. She wolfed down the curry bread in three large bites with a relish that had Adia laughing at her enjoyment.

"You're eating like you haven't done so for days!"

"It feels like it! May I try this one?"

"Sure! Here you are. Let's sit over there and eat," Adia said handing her the bizarre looking fare and leading her over to the secluded shade of a flowering fountain tree. Nyota sat and made herself comfortable on the mossy ground before inspecting her dessert.

The color of the 'fruit' was off putting but the taste was something else altogether. As she chewed Nyota closed her eyes and hummed. The indigo pulpy slice melted in the heat of her mouth into a creamy, tangy puddle. "Mmm what is that?"

Aida smacked her lips and looked over into the fruit bowl. "Hmm that one is a Vulcan fruit called k'vaas. They can grow a few of their plants here though most do not like the moisture of our world. It is a strange little thing. It looks like a blue mandarin, but you can eat the whole thing seeds, skin and all. And the taste, it's like...I don't know…"

"Sweetened yogurt?" Nyota offered.

"Ah yes, a sweet, tart yogurt with apples blended in. Weird but very satisfying. The first time Ralek tried to feed it to me I thought he was trying to poison me, ha ha!"

"Ralek? Is that your husband?" Nyota asked. She was picking over all the pieces to eat all the k'vaas first. The more she ate the better she felt. Human company coupled with food, she supposed, would do that.

Aida smiled sweetly and giggled with a closed mouth. "Yes, that is my jackal. At first I thought all the Mgeni would be the same and just as the legends described them. Pale, fearsome and violent beyond reason but when I met Ralek on the culling rock, Nyota, I nearly swooned in relief!"

Nyota bit at her lip as she remembered her reaction to Spock's appearance. She had nearly fainted herself but not in relief. "Is that so? What did you first think?"

Adia quickly chewed her food and answered, talking with her hands as she went. "He was so handsome, it was outstanding! Smooth skin, strong bodied and his face...oh I just couldn't stop looking at that handsome creature before me. He stalked up to me like some big cat, purring twice as loud while I sat there huddled on that stupid rock."

She smiled wider and her eyes lost their focus as she recalled the past. "When he finally reached me, he held still and waited. When I got enough courage, I touched his face and those pointy eyebrows. Everything about him excited me! I thought ' _Look at this huge, giant of a man with these pointy ears of his! His skin is like mine but he's so different! He could easily render me to nothing but he's holding himself in check for me!'_ Nyota, I tell you I thought he was going to be a hyena man or somesuch nonsense, but my Ralek was just a very angular looking man with a green pallor _._ I felt a thrill at being so close to him, a feeling that's hard to explain…"

Nyota recalled the tugging pull she felt when Spock was near or sought her out. She thought it had something to do with the marking he gave her, but, with Adia's tale of the same phantom allure, Nyota knew it was something deeper. Was it the bond that Spock sometimes spoke of? Maybe the melding?

Adia continued unaware of Nyota's internal monologue and tried to better explain her thoughts that night. "It was an exciting chill at knowing I was handling something half the Mara knew to fear. He called me by my name when I touched his ear and took me by surprise. I didn't know that he knew me or my name. I was flattered."

"What did you do next?" Nyota whispered lowly caught up in the moment.

Aida blushed coquettishly and laughed again. "I kissed him. I thought, well he is my husband by village rites _and_ he looks so much better than the elders said he would, so why not?"

"You did not!?" Nyota exclaimed with a chuckle of disbelief.

Aida joined her and covered her open smile with her hand. "Oh, yes I did! You will see, Nyota, that I have a wild heart. Ralek brings it out of me for better or for worse. As soon as my lips touched his it was like a cooking oil to fire! He kissed me back in a way I didn't know possible, my goodness! It was so good that when he leaned me back onto the rock I hardly even noticed. It wasn't until he lifted my skirt and his loincloth did I key into what was happening."

"Adia!" Nyota gasped. "Do you mean to tell me you made relations out in the middle of the mara?!"

Adia smirked and wagged her finger. "Not right then and I'll tell you why. While my Ralek appeared to know _what_ to do, he seemed extremely nervous. He handled me like a husk-doll he was afraid of breaking, haha. It was then, in a heavily accented swahili, did he tell me that _he hadn't done it before_."

Nyota lowered her hands to her lap with her hunger long forgotten. "Really?! I would have thought…?"

"I know! Well...imagine his face when I said not to worry...because _I had_."

Nyota's eyes went wide and she clapped her hand over her mouth. Quickly scouting around to see who was near Nyota whispered loudly at the thrill of the scandalous reveal. "What?! How?! When?! I was barely left alone long enough to go to the bathroom even in my exclusion from society! My goodness, so naughty! Well tell me more! Don't leave me breathless!"

Aida smiled and ate another piece of her fruit. "When you come from a larger tribal nation like mine, it is easier to find way of keeping things out of sight of your elders. Esha could tell you more about it, but those near the Kikuyu tradition have many wives, but the wives are also allowed to take on male lovers. And just as they teach you how to get pregnant, I learned from those older sisters of our community how to stay barren. It is not so hard a thing but that is neither here nor there. You wanted to hear about me and Ralek, eh?"

"Mmm hmm," Nyota nodded eagerly. It was arousing and thrilling to hear such a libidinous tale. The typical good girl Nyota had never engaged in such naughty talk and she found it to be intoxicating. She had been on the sidelines of such conversations in her village but now she had a bit more understanding about how things worked Aida's sordid recollection made Nyota stir in her seat. "What next?!"

"Well, he looked shocked at first but asked me to teach him how. He told me he had only seen such things in his mind and wanted me to lead if I was more experienced. So I pulled him down to the rock and kissed him some more," she said, smacking over a piece of melon. "My village, like yours, didn't cut my _kuma_ because of the mgeni so I could still experience pleasure. I lead his hands between my legs and told him to touch me. He asked why and I told him it makes our kind ready for such things. He did and even in his inexperience he made me tremble after only a few minutes. He seemed less nervous after that so I decided to try something else."

"What then?"

"Well I rose up above him and asked him to lay still. After he did so, I moved my skirt out of the way along with his loincloth. I was very surprised by what I saw."

Nyota nodded with a furrowed brow. " Yeah...it is very…"

"Green." Aida finished with a different word than she had been thinking. "I had never seen anything like his cock before but it still tempted me."

Nyota picked at her fruit and avoided her gaze as she asked her next question. "So what was it like...with a Vulcan after knowing a man of your tribe?"

Adia chewed over her food thoughtfully and reclined a bit on the ground. "Mmm a many good things are different but a lot is the same as well. When I was with a lover in our tribe, he would focus on himself just as I would in getting my own pleasure. It would be quick, quiet and no love loss between us when we parted ways. And there was definitely no getting stuck together like dogs!"

Nyota scrunched up her face in confusion at the mention of being stuck but held her question about it until Adia was finished with her story.

Adia licked her lips and watched the birds in the square fighting over loose millet from the stands, unaware of Nyota's piqued curiosity. "With a Vulcan...or rather Ralek, for he is all I've ever known and all I would ever want after. I guess the best way to put it is the act is engaging, you're never disconnected from him. It is possessive in a way that makes you feel treasured. Their lovemaking is demanding, relentless yet oddly tender. Yes, Ralek's body and composure at the time was disarming but he wanted me so much I could feel it in my bones, sister. Never had a man sought after me during our making. Ralek with those fingers of his...I could feel him inside of me all over...between my legs and my ears as he ravaged both my quim and my mind. He wanted what I wanted and I felt the same for him. Our pleasure was not singular but shared, it was...intense at first but not painfully so. I've never felt so cherished as I have with him."

"So it felt good?"

Aida flushed and covered her crooked smiling mouth. "Oh Nyota, yes! We had a jubilant time on that rock ha ha! I think we kept the whole Mara awake," she tittered. "After that one time, Ralek took the lead and I was _very_ happy to follow. You will see with Spock that it is not so different. Soon he'll have you asking for seconds."

Nyota absently resumed eating and hooted in surprise. "Oh my goodness that is spicy!"

Aida looked over and pointed at the light purple pieces. "That there is _pre_. The Vulcans use it to make curries but theirs taste nothing like ours. It's just very hot with very little to no seasoning. You will get used to it."

Nyota wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and sighed over the heat. "I was not ready for that," she chuckled.

Adia chuckled and ate at the peel. "No one ever is. When you're done let's haul that changaa up to Loiyan's and introduce you to a few of the other wives?"

Nyota agreed and carefully ate at her snack. Upon completion, she and Adia left the square and went towards the crater wall. Nyota looked up along the carved mountain face in a new found awe for Vulcan aesthetics.

Around each window, vent and doorway, ornate geometric reliefs bordered the dark openings. Crisp triangles, circles and lines spanned the length of the frames with a level of detail that belied the patience of Spock's people. As strange as the patterns were, Nyota felt akin to them now after spending so much time in her new home.

Spock had adorned their furniture in much the same way with the woodwork and some of the plates. Her eyes focused in on the lighter colored stone and reviewed it curiously. The familiar shapes of animals and plants were being painted with the colors of their people. As she gazed upon the methodical hand of whatever artisian the Vulcans had employed, Nyota felt herself tearing up.

Adia motioned with her chin as they approached the doorway. "Isn't it pretty? They put in the patterns of our tribal nations. You see there...that's the Kisii and Kikuyu masks and that there is Embu's marks. And you of course recognize the Kamba and the Maasai."

"Yes it is all quite beautiful. What made them add the patterns and the colors?"

Adia turned and tilted her head as if it was obvious. " Because we are family."

Nyota stood dumbstruck for a moment before she collected herself. Nyota was touched though she felt she shouldn't be. And by family did the Adia mean the Vulcans meant them as a family of different tribes but one nation of people? Pondering it further, did the Vulcans mean to keep their fledgling tribal nation a secret, or did they mean to make themselves as a kindred nation to be both feared and respected out in the open?

The question rubbed at Nyota as she knew that she would have to follow suit with whatever course the elders here chose. But what did that mean for her and her family? She cast her eyes over the sprawling wall and sighed. Just when she started to feel safe in her new home doubts over her future were once again nibbling at her joy.

Strange spiraling lines engraved above the doorway caught her eye and she pointed towards the mantle top. "They mark their houses like they did mine."

Adia went in through the door and called Nyota to follow. "Yes. There are so many here of the same house that they break it down by name, parents and clan. Oh my, I must sit. This baby tires me! Could you please get me some water?"

Nyota quickly obeyed and let herself around the kitchen until she came back with a mug of water from a pitcher on the counter. Adia happily accepted mug and drained half of it in one go.

" Always thirsty and forever peeing," she grumbled. " Thank you."

" My pleasure, sister."

Adia smiled at her and sighed. " Mmm Nyota how I envy you."

Nyota snapped her attention away from their decor to Adia's grinning face. "I beg your pardon?"

Adia huffed and rolled her head back along her shoulders. "Really it's nothing meant in anger or a mean spirit but...I wish I could speak as easily as you do with your _mume_ ( husband-swahili). Ah..there are sometimes I love Ralek so much it hurts and other times where it just hurts. As with most arranged marriage we have a cautious love but we are still learning about one another. You and Spock seem to be very close."

Nyota snorted and shook her head. "It's always your neighbor's cattle that looks fatter. We are close but I feel the same distance you speak of...I think it may just take time."

"I have been with Ralek for four summers and yet I feel like I struggle in the same place with him. You must come and teach us Vulcan so I tell him my mind instead of him reading it! I am human after all, talking is what comes naturally."

"I promise," Nyota said earnestly taking a hold of her hand. It had been so long since she had been allowed to touch other people that it still felt novel. "You look tired. Where do you keep your buttered shea?"

"In the bathroom on the shelf," Adia answered rubbing her belly. "Do you need to use some?"

"No no. I just remember my mother when she was pregnant with my sisters needing an occasional rub on her feet. A baby is a lot of weight on your feet, I hear."

Adia sighed and added another hand to her belly. "You do not know the half of it! I would welcome a foot rub."

Nyota fetched the jar and went about rubbing at her new friend's tender calves and ankles. As she worked over her tired muscles, Adia told her about her life before the Vulcans and a little thereafter. There were still days that she felt out of place, like she was in a dream and Ralek and her kids were all just an illusion but the feeling passed quickly now and came to visit far less often.

Before long a small woman named Naeku stopped in to help with fetching items for the evening. Nyota finished with Adia's feet and aided the newcomer in bagging all the moonshine and food for prepping.

Aida rolled up from her sit and waddled over to see their progress. She picked up a moonshine filled gourd and sighed with a groan. " What I wouldn't give to just sit back with a sip of this."

" A few more months and I will make sure of it once our baby is out."

The women snapped to attention at the sound of a deep voice and focused in on the large, bare chested Vulcan standing in the doorway. Nyota hoped that her face didn't show her surprise or appreciation of his appearance as she looked him over.

He had broad shoulders and a slim waist like many of the others but where Spock had the slender physique of a long distance runner and this male looked more like a sprinter. Heavily muscled and shorter than her mate this Vulcan's skin was also much more like T'Bes or Ulihar's than Spock's pale olive skin.

His eyes were more accented than most others and his hair appeared straighter than most. Perhaps his mother had been brought in from the coast where traders were known to marry between the nations? These Vulcans got around Nyota thought as she sized him up. By the end of their search for women they would probably have a woman from every nation and tribe!

" Ralek." Adia said happily, walking gingerly over to him. His eyes narrowed in appreciation as she came and greeted him with a kiss on his cheek. " I thought you had sentry duty?"

He caught her hand lowered down his head against hers. " _Abi'bae'cok gad-keshtan fa'gad nash veh. Kunli gal-tor ish-veh._ ( I am done until daybreak tomorrow. This-one is pleased to see you.)."

Adia squeaked as he ran his fingers over the back of her hand and stared at her intently. " _Svi-shau nash veh du, t' ek'zar? T'du t'hy'la 'la._ ( Did this one interrupt you my jewel? Your friends are present.)"

Adia gave his hand a squeeze and Ralek's eyes widened momentarily and focused in on where Nyota was standing in the kitchen. It was like he was looking at her for the first time but maybe it was because it was. She they had spotted him in the doorway he had only had eyes for his wife.

" _Ish veh t'Spock S'haile?_ ( That one belonging to Lord Spock?)" he asked looking back at Adia's face.

She nodded and looked back over to the kitchen. " Yes that's Nyota and after the footrub she gave me it is safe to say she is a very good friend now haha!"

Ralek hummed and pulled her closer, swallowing Adia into the fold of his arms. Tilting his mouth closer to her ear he murmured loud enough that Nyota still caught his words. " _Hi suk'rom t'hy'la Adia. Du aitlun tetau t'ash'ya nash veh?_ ( This one is your best friend, Adia. You wanting this one to rub your feet?)"

Adia slapped her hand against his chest with a chuckle and he blinked at her with a huff. " You big, old jealous thing! Go on and meet with your friends! I know where your foot rubs lead. And as you go could you drop this off at Loiyan's? The girls are here to help me but you could help us all."

" _Maut muhl_ ( Very well.)" he said with the slightest tilt of his lips. He took all the bags into one hand and noted to gourds of alcohol. To make his question clear he asked after one of the corked gourds. " May I have one of these for our evening out?"

Nyota blinked at his language switch. Ralek spoke Swahili fairly well, even if his accent was thick. Why didn't he just speak to her in Swahili instead of having to touch her when he spoke Vulcan?

Her answer came shortly after when she noticed Adia looking up at the ceiling and chewing on her lip before she replied in his native tongue. " _Ha. Nil-bek veh._ ( Yes. Just one.)"

" Very good pronunciation. You progress more every day. I thank you for the gift. I hope you do not mind me taking the largest one. There will be four of us this evening."

Adia beamed as Ralek complimented her Vulcan and patted her belly. " Ri. Ma'mihrsh! ( No. Have fun!)"

Ralek's eyebrows rose slowly and Adia pouted loudly. " What did I say?"

He walked by her and ran his hand casually over her arm. " It is not what you said but how you said it. The amount of emotion in your voice was... _petakov_ (cute) but odd to hear in the Vulcan tongue. I will see you tomorrow afternoon. Keep practicing, _t'ek'zar_.'"

Adia huffed and crossed her arms but as he kissed her goodbye she melted sullenly. " That's not fair to kiss me that way and leave!"

Ralek hummed quietly as he shouldered the bags. " Oh so you want me to say now? We could stay in for the evening and meditate?"

Adia scoffed and pushed back towards the door. " Oh Goodness you are horrible! Leave! Meditate...ha! Get out of here you jackal before you shame us both in front of my friends!"

Ralek looked down at where she was ineffectively pushing him and huffed in what Nyota took to be amusement. He took pity on his wife and started to go towards the door. " They know how that baby in your belly came to be. It is no secret or shame merely a naturally inclination between a husband and wife."

" Out! Oh my goodness out!" she fussed with a chuckle. Ralek caught her hand and brought it to his lips. Kissing quickly at her fingers he released her hand and palmed her swelling belly. He moved it hand just so and until he stopped suddenly near her bladder. Spreading his fingers he took a deep and closed his eyes.

" How is the baby?" Adia asked giving her husband a temporary stay.

" _To'ovau_ (Growing). _Kunil_ (Happy). _Siyah kum'i_ ( almost awake)."

She laughed with a groan and covered his large hand with her small, lighter one. " That last one I know to be all too true. He sleeps all day just to dance around in my belly at night when I'm trying to sleep."

" Il kosu. Nuh'pi'wak kup-fai-tor. ( Or she. It is too early to tell.)" he pressed with a serious face.

Adia smiled slyly and looked back at Nyota and Naeku. " He wants a little girl so badly."

" Kosu ki'klon heh vaksur t'ish'ko-mekh. ( She will be smart and a beauty like her mother.)" he said thumbing the new collar Nyota gave her. " E'tum nash-du. ( Being pretty on you.)"

" Nyota gave it to me."

Again Ralek turned his dark gaze onto her face and gave a slight nod. " Thank you, _T'sai_."

Nyota smiled and answered. " _Sanosh t'nash-veh._ ( The pleasure belongs to this one)."

Ralek's eyebrow tipped up in surprise at her quick and clear speech. He hadn't been expecting it so it probably came as quite the shock. But not shocking enough to keep his hands away from his wife as he tried once again to lure her closer.

Adia moaned in exasperation and tried once more to usher him out. " Ok, ok! Enough of that! You may fool them but you're not fooling me. One illogical Vulcan in this whole compound and he chose me! Get out of here and don't come back until your regained your reasoning and your sobriety after all that changaa I know you'll drink."

" I will come back when I amenable to it. It just so happens that it aligns with your requests. Very fortunate for you."

At that she growled in frustration and he hummed in triumph before leaving.

Naeku and Nyota were hiding their laughter behind their hands when Adia groused at them. " Let's leave now before he comes back and bothers me some more!"

But Nyota saw her smiling behind her mask of irritation.

They left her home and slowly made their way over to Loiyan's house along a broad pathway following the crater wall beneath the tree line. The sun had almost sunken below the lip of the mountain's open top and made room for other lights starting to shine in the multicolored skyline.

She felt a strange sense of peace over her as followed her new village sisters and wondered after Spock. She hoped that time spent with his closer kinsmen would help with any stress he may be feeling.

An afternoon spent with Esha, Adia and a few random others had left her feeling relieved and settled. Out in the mara she felt caged and alone but here she felt like she was among survivors and friends. She also felt like she was gaining a bit more knowledge on who and what the Vulcans were as a people. They had been trying to survive on a strange knew land and now sought to thrive in it.

Loiyan was standing outside her door singing and calling women in with a traditional swahili song of welcome. It was familiar to Nyota like a nursery rhythm but some of the words had been changed. When she spotted them she sang louder and beckoned them in. Adia and Naeku joined her song and Nyota did her best to follow too. She did so shyly but even with her subdued voice the others looked back in pleasant surprise. Naeku ushered her forward to lead the song and Loiyan slipped back to have her take it.

Ringing her hands on her shuka she sang a bit louder until she forgot herself in the song relished the music they were making. Other women who had been in the house came out to listen and join in with dancing and Nyota beamed brightly.

They carried on like that until the sky completely darkened, uncaring of the curious glances they gained from passing Vulcans and those who chose to linger nearby and watch. Nyota rocked her shoulders and stomped her feet as her body joined in with the gaiety of her voice and purged her lingering sadness. She was far from home but she had found a new one with a new people and a new place within it. They gave her a welcome and she clung to it like a lifeline. She found her voice again. She found her smile again.

Esha ululated and the others joined in with yips and shouts whipping themselves further into a frenzy. Nyota abandoned singing and joined a woman named Naseriane in jumping at the center. It was traditional a Maasai man's dance but that was because it was a moran's dance and she and her sisters were moran.

As rose into the air she lifted her head up and gave her voice to the sky. It wasn't until she noticed Stonn watching her from the treeline did Nyota still her dancing and followed after Adia who had gone inside. She wanted nothing of that stranger including his attention. Figures that a male would come by and spoil her fun.

As she walked in Nyota was floored by the size of the main room. The breezy carven could easily hold the wooden construction of their home back on the mara and was large enough to fit all those present with room to spare. Off in the kitchen a number of women were still busy at work filling samosas, mixing curries, roasting fish over a small fire and arguing about how best to make koshary. Only Sydah truly knew how to make it but she was not present yet and Adia had begged the others to the spicy chickpea dish.

" We don't have any tomatoes though, Adia and this is the wrong type of onion." a shapely woman pressed. She was dressed like a Turkana woman with her mohawked hair cast over to one side and her chest covered with a small wrap around her breasts. " Wouldn't you care for some roasted lamb instead? Sydah won't be long and when she gets here she'll make some for you."

Adia groaned and pouted against the chair. " You want me to starve Kibibi?! Just give me anything at this point if I can't have Koshary then. You're so cruel."

" And you are pregnant and spoiled." Kibibi teased poking her nose. " Ralek babies you far too much and now look at you!"

Adia groaned again and the others laughed at her antics. Kibibi tucked her hair behind her ear and shook her head. " So spoiled but I love you anyway."

" Kibibi…" Nyota called shyly as she came towards her. " Ulihar told me to tell you he says hi."

The Turkana looked her over and smiled softly. " A Maasai woman. Who claimed you, little sister?"

" Spock."

Kibibi grinned and came up to embrace her. " Oh what good news! We will see each other often. Our men are like brothers."

Nyota lowered herself in deference to her elder though Kibibi looked to be no more than 5 years older than her. " So I have seen."

Kibibi drew her back and looked her in the eye. " How was his time. He broke both of you gently I hope? Do you need medicine or drink?"

" His time? I...what are you talking about."

Those surrounding them stopped talking and eavesdropped as Kibibi lovely oval face twisted in concern. " His _pon farr_? Was it hard for you to weather his affections?"

Nyota sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and shook her head tearfully. " No, I haven't had relations with him yet. He told me to ask you all about _pon farr_ when I came here."

At that Kibibi's eye widened in surprise and she pulled Nyota down to sit beside Adia. " You don't know?! He didn't tell you?!"

Esha nodded and sighed. " And there I thought that he was the most logical of the bunch."

Adia shook her head and pursed her lips. " I know I was going to tell her this afternoon but I didn't want to do her a disservice so I wanted until we all together to say something about the matter."

She rubbed her belly and turned to Nyota in a soft expression. " Pon farr is a time which all these males go through every seven summers."

" Every seven summers." Nyota repeated as if it all made sense. Yes, it had nearly been seven summers when she first found the mark at her home's threshold.

Esha shifted her babe from one breast to the other and picked up where Adia left off. " He will struck with a high fever and plagued with desire at that time. He will think of nothing else but mating, losing all sense of reality. He will need to have intercourse for all of this to pass. It is a strange time for everyone."

Adia nodded and accepted a plate of food from Naseriane. " It is true. Ralek will go from a stone face and quiet voice to crazed smiling face as he's rutting and snarling above me. It spoke all sorts of nonsense and wouldn't let me be for days. The whole time before it he was irritable and short with everyone."

Nyota looked stricken and asked timidly. " Did he hurt you?"

Adia snorted and laughed. " Heaven no! He was quite rough and insistent during our lovemaking but he never harmed me. He's still apologizing about stepping on my foot and that happened a month ago."

Naseriane chimed in and handed Nyota a drink. " He will crazed in his mind but these Vulcans are very much opposed to violence. Something between that strange link that they form with us keeps them in check during their pon farr so they don't end up maiming you is what I heard from the healer when I conceived after my husband's time."

Nyota took a sip from her mug and choked on the liquid. " My goodness what is this?!"

" Changaa. Haven't you had some before?" Esha asked.

Kibibi shrugged and shook her head. " Probably not. She's Maasai, they barely go beyond their blood and milk."

Nyota made a face and pinched her nose. " I have had a sip of some before during a market trip but it was nothing like this devil's brew."

Adia huffed and tilted the mug against her lips. " Oh hush and drink it or you will hurt me and Esha's feelings! Taste the quality! We used good water and fruit on this drink."

Nyota protested but swallowed it down anyways. It burned down into her chest and through her nose as it rushed through her. Despite the name of moonshine the taste was bright and clean, like water with a hint of fruit. She sniffed loudly and rubbed her face as it readily sent her head swimming. As it continued to sink in Nyota relaxed a bit on the cushions Kibibi sat them onto. Any chairs to be had were occupied by those with child or mothers who were nursing. Given the circumstances it was probably fair that those who could imbibe should give us their seats for those who were still at work rearing and growing their children.

" Nyota." Naseriane began as she finally took a seat herself. " Spock is known for his very nice temperament. True he may be a bit arrogant and sure of himself…"

" Most Vulcans are…" a older lady mumbled between bites of her food.

Naseriane shot her an exasperated look and continued. " But if he is going through pon farr he needs you in only a way you can serve him. If he's holding back it may because he senses your wariness. My husband is hardly able to touch me at all if I don't want him to but pon farr is different, eh? You don't want him crawling on top of you half out of his mind? What keeps you away from his bed?"

" I...I'm scared. That and I am getting over my feelings for another..."

Kibibi licked the food from her fingers and tilted her head as far as her necklaces would allow. " You were in love before Spock claimed you."

" I think so."

Naeku smiled widely showing off the pretty gap in her teeth. " Oh you don't have to think about it, you know!"

The other women around her hummed and clucked their tongues in agreement. Finishing a sip from her mug Kingasunye cleared her throat and spoke in her high, clear voice. " First things first. Why don't you tell your sisters about this other fellow and of your fears? We will help you sort things out."

Nyota looked from face to face and took a hearty sip of her drink with a cough. " Okay. I would gladly welcome all the help you have to offer."

She began at the beginning with her strange dream and how the following morning her door had been marked. She spoke of Asa's insistence that they run away together, her sense of duty and foreboding as the days and years wore on. She had grown anxious and scared and tried to put her fears away into studying more about the 'mgeni'. All the elders had to offer her were terrible tales that plagued her with nightmares. She feared being having his way and hurting her. She heard from the shaman that they were not like men and they would hurt her body if they found their way inside her.

Her sense of isolation grew and she became more despondent as the years went on. She thought that when her mgeni mate retrieved her he would torture her for years on end. Asa had been a tempting beckon of escape but as much as she feared her fate she did not wish it upon any other women in the village.

She then recounted the her time of meeting Spock which had them making noises of sympathy and a few others giggling that she would even try and fight him. She told of how she learned Spock wasn't the monster her mind made him out to be but it was hard to separate the two after so many years of believing him to be vile. He was sweet in his own Vulcan way and annoying as he could be and she had really grown to love him, but it was not enough to keep her fear of sex with him at bay.

Each woman looked around thoughtfully at her story before Naeku spoke up. "Tell me little sister, you say Spock took away your choice in marriage but did you really chose Asa or did you settle on the decision your parents made for you? Perhaps you might have romanticized the notion of marriage to him because he was young, dashing and undeniably human."

"Yes but I...I would have never married Spock unless he had marked me! It was...he took…", Nyota stuttered over her lazy tongue. She was flustered over the possibility that she may have actually written a narrative to her relationship with Asa that wasn't the whole truth.

Could it have been that her relationship with both men was one in the same? That Asa was no more different in his claim of her than Spock, but, Spock being seen as a mythical mgeni had given his claim precedence? She chewed her lip and thought over her attraction through the years. Early on she had been told that she would most likely be Asa's first wife. She doted on him because of it, and, perhaps because she was comely and good natured, Asa had returned her attention. Admittedly, she hadn't done the same with Spock because her mind had built Vulcans up into something frightening and unloveable.

From her mindset, the Vulcan marking had signaled the death of her possibly being with Asa instead of the birth of something potentially wonderful. She had been brought up for years thinking that she would have been tortured and raped by her mgeni husband until he finally grew bored and devoured her. The notion that sex with Spock could or would be something that she would grow to savor and seek out had not been entertained in the least.

"I don't know...I just...the whole experience has left me half the woman I once was and I have yet to see the whole marriage through…" Nyota stopped and returned to her mug of spirits. The fiery liquid chased the burning lump in her throat as she fought off tears. "I know each of you are braver than me...just the sight of his body warms mine but chills my heart. I am a coward married to a gentle lion."

The women clicked their tongues and spoke over one another as they rallied to her defense.

One of the older women rapped her cup on the table to quiet the din. "Little one, listen! You need not bully yourself over something you have no control over. Whether you made peace with Asa and still fear your husband is trivial. This is the way of things. Men of all walks of life, whether from our land or the stars, are the same with their women at first."

"What?" Nyota asked, lowering her mug.

Gaining the other women's attention, the lady who introduced herself as Ada grew more animated in her opinion. "They claim you, try to control you, get inside you and make you love them! They may have different ways of going about it, but these men are the same! I agree, little daughter, it is not fair, but rarely ever are things fair. Grass grows just to be eaten down to its roots. The antelope must always run because he is always hunted and the lions must always hunt or else they'll starve. It would be nice if everyone could leave others to their peace but life for some spells death for others. You are making a mountain out of a termite mound! Just let him between your legs whenever the mood strikes him and he'll leave you be for the rest of the time!"

"Shush, Ada! Your harsh words are scaring her!"

The older woman sourly turned her face towards her younger peer and huffed in annoyance. "We cannot baby her if she wishes to be a woman, Ayana! How hard was it, Ayana, for us, with no preparation or language skills such as she had, to lay down for our husbands?! I could not even speak with my Sulak when he carried me off like some ghost eyed giant! I didn't know what he wanted but I _knew_ what _men_ wanted. So when he watched me from the security of what is now our home, I let him lift my dress and take his fill," she snapped angrily.

Ayana sighed heavily and cast a sympathetic glance at the defensive matron. Ada ignored her and concentrated on forcefully cracking open nutshells against one another in her palm. The younger elder patted her companion's knee and gave a knowing hum. "Sulak's body betrayed him, Ada. He did not have the sickness that your uncle had and should you not compare the two. He was...an evil man. I learned that too…"

Ada sighed ruefully and placed her hands on Ayana's. "I learned that Sulak actually cared about me beyond my body...that he loves me as men of his people do. I just...I know what fear and disgust our little sister must feel at having a man thrust upon her without so much as a thought of her feelings. That's why I ran away from my home in the first place. If I hadn't he may never have found me wandering the woods attracting lions and all sorts of beasts who were looking for an easy meal."

Nyota cleared her throat and hugged her sides. "I'm sorry Ada, compared to what you have gone through my story is nothing. Spock has put me first in so many ways and I truly wish to move forward. Though I could ignore it, I would just like to rid myself of my fear of Spock and sex altogether."

"The fear that you have, Nyota, is not truly based on your regard of your mate or even intercourse. It is rooted in your insecurities about what the future will hold. Where someone your age was dreaming of a life spent with family, friends, community and long held traditions, the moment you were stripped of those your fear took your heart from you. You cannot love with such poison inside, young daughter."

"But what if…?"

"But what if what?", Ayana snapped. "What if you let him between your legs? What will happen? The same thing that's been happening since the beginning of time. Do you not want him, Nyota? Do you not feel something for him? Do you want a babe of your own? How will you realize any of these things if you let your fear bind you into inaction?"

Ayana paused as the others nodded and took a chunk of meat between her teeth. She chewed at it like sappy honey, with long, loud smacks of her lips and continued between bites. "The pain of a maid becoming a matron is fleeting but the pain of regret is long lived. You are _moran_ because of the duty you have been chosen to perform. As a woman and a warrior you must conquer him and bend him to your will just as the Maasai bend the will of the lion."

Naseriane took a hold of Nyota's shoulders and leaned in with a smile. "Go to him and see that we are all telling you the truth. Do you not think that there is some sort of enjoyment to be had from your husband? How do you think all these children came to be?" she asked with a chuckle as she gestured outside to the kanlar playing in the yard.

Nyota looked from face to face and nodded slowly in agreement. "How...how do I do it? I mean how do I start?"

"Did your Aunties not teach you anything? You know nothing of pleasing a man?" Naseriane asked in surprise.

Nyota shook her head and the few of them chuckled loudly while the others just smiled at her knowingly. As if she had done something uncouth Nyota hurried to explain herself. "When I got marked I remained intact. The elders worried that women such as I would grow wild with sex so I was set apart and told nothing less I contaminate the other girls."

Kibibi laughed bitterly and took a sip of her drink. " Funny they would think that. They are right about one thing, cutting you as they do would have had your thoughts far from making relations. I almost died from the bleeding myself. Sula got a fever so bad that it took her 15 years with Jossen to conceive!"

Kibibi gauged Nyota's mood before continuing on in her tale. "I was not marked like you or the others. After they cut me, I was delirious in pain. I stayed as quiet as could less I shame my family, but I could feel my life slipping from me. When I grew weaker my family thought my spirit would be too strong to remain housed in my body, so they took me out of the house and prepared for my death."

Kibibi peered down into the contents of her mug as if scrying the past. "I reckoned myself for death then and waited for him to claim me. So as I slipped in and out of waking and caught sight of a skulled kudu man astride a giant hartbeest, I thought he'd come for me."

She smiled then and cupped her mug as the memories were relived. "He asked me then in stilted Swahili what had happened and I told him the whole tale. He dismounted from his stag and carried me to his steed as easy as one would a child. He took me to what I learned was their temple and healed me alongside T'Kaas and her mate. When it came time that I was well enough to return I chose to stay by his side."

Kibibi curled her palm towards Nyota and tapped her finger along the center. "When his time came there was no question that I would have him. From the moment that lanky, freckled face man cared for me like one of his own I loved him. And the years that passed between only helped to grow the feeling as we matured alongside each other. Because parts of me had been cast away I had trouble finding much if any pleasure in the act, but, with his fingers to my temple, Ulihar gave me _his_ pleasure. My mate never saw me as lesser or greater for my cutting nor did he pity me. As my husband he has always sought to love me as I am and for what I mean to him in his heart. I felt struck in my spirit to want to do the same. I could define him as a man or a Vulcan, but to me he is just my best friend."

Nyota swooned a bit from the tale and the spiked tea, feeling lightheaded at the thought. Her life had not been as bad and she saw from Kibibi how it could be far worse. "You love him."

"With everything in me," Kibibi stated firmly.

"And you…" Nyota licked her lips and chose her words just so. "...you enjoy intercourse with him?"

"With everything in me," Kibibi smirked. The women broke out into a fit of laughter and fanned their bejeweled hands at her answer.

As the chuckling died down, Esha embraced Nyota warmly with a clucking tongue. The motion and sound reminded Nyota of a mother hen folding in her brood underneath her wing. "Oh no wonder you are scared little sister. You always find fear where you are ignorant, but do not worry because we will teach you what you need to know now and the rest your husband will teach you later in your bed."

At that the women broke out into another ruckus laughter complete with Kingasunye gesticulating with her arms and hips like a humping male. Nyota shook her head with a roll of her eyes and let the older women have their fun. As much as they ribbed her, she knew that they only sought to lighten the mood and draw her in as one of their own. They were her new community and they wanted to help her adjust.

"Ok then. First, what first?" Naeku said, tapping her finger against her collarbone.

Nyota noted the dark, circular bruise near the collar of her dress and pointed to it shyly. "What about the biting?"

"What about it?" Naeku asked surprised. She glanced down where Nyota's eyes were fixed and giggled as she caressed the scar. "Oh when he bites you? Ah, it's a love lick."

"Oh yes!" Loiyan chimed in agreement. "It is his way of claiming you, you know? Like a reminder. It's like his way of saying...hmm how do you say _Nakupenda_ ( I love you) in Maasai?"

" _Kanyor nasu_ ," Nyota replied softly. "It seems a bit much to just say I love you...why not go before the tribe? Adorn me in wedding collars and marriage attire? Hand me a piece of jewelry?!"

"Because he is Vulcan, even if in part," reasoned Adia. " He marks you so that no one will question whether you're a taken woman. Clothes get ruined, jewelry gets lost and people are forgetful when convenient."

"Even in part?" Nyota questioned but her words went unnoticed as another sister answered her earlier inquiry.

"Marking you let's everyone know that he holds your bond in the highest esteem. He wants no one but you," Kingasunye explained, tearing into one of the samosas.

"Oh and it's not just nibbling that marks you. They are very big here on how you smell."

Nyota sniffed the air and shook her head with a shrug. "I smell nothing but food and shea butter."

"You do, but to them they can barely smell those scents at all. Their sense of smell is stronger or weaker than ours depending on what the scent is. The musk of a Vulcan is a very distinct odor to your male and the others."

Nyota pulled her scarf to her nose and held it there as she took a breath in. She picked up the woody, bergamot scent of Spock there in the fold but it was nothing more than a gentle hint. She would take their word for it that others could smell it. "You mentioned their touch, it can convey their feelings?"

The women all nodded, taking bites of their dinner, feasting on the meat with clear relish. Adia was first to clear her mouth and answered Nyota after a quick smack of her lips. "They communicate a good wealth of information that way. Thoughts, feelings, energy can all get funneled through their skin into you. It is something about their stock that makes it so. I guess it was natural for them back from where they came from. It certainly made things easier for us who are still having a hard time with the language. If I can't think of the word or if I need to say something very urgently and worry about the translation I put his hand to my head so he can see my mind."

"What about dreams...like visions that feel real...can they share those?"

Ayana stopped her ugali filled hand in mid-air and let it hang as she thought. "My Gad is fully Vulcan and for us that happens often. It does not bother me as much anymore but when we were younger and he was still new to me the distorted reality was disturbing. During pon farr his dreams of intimacy would plague me every night."

"Yes! The same is happening with me," Nyota gasped. "So fully blooded Vulcans are able to do such things?"

"Or ones that have an exceptionally strong telepathic abilities. Spock is one such Vulcan but he is not fully Vulcan."

Nyota twisted in the direction of the new, melodic voice and stared in surprise. Her head went to the side and her mouth fell open in shock. "A white woman?!"

The newcomer chuckled with a wide smile and gave her a gracious nod. "Yes a _white_ woman, your new _white mother_ in law in fact. Come here daughter and let me see who my _safu_ married."

Nyota snapped her mouth shut and did one of Spock's frequently performed eyebrow raises. Her mother by marriage was a white American?! The notion did not grieve her so much as it made her extremely curious. How was it that this lady found herself among not only the Maasai but the Vulcans as well. It was sure to be an exciting tale however it happened.

"Come, daughter," she beckoned Nyota again, extending her hand out to receive her.

Nyota moved to comply studying this new family with open interest. Her skin was richly tanned though it had a pinky peach undertone that belied it being paler at one point. Her neatly coiffured hair had been highlighted by the sun and with age as streaks of copper and grey ran through the dark brown strands. Her face was lightly lined with fine wrinkles that told Nyota that she smiled easily.

When Nyota reached her she bowed her head in deference. Her mother in law softly palmed the crown of her head and said a Maasai blessing of womanhood over her before pulling her into a hug. Nyota blinked in surprise before settling into the embrace. Her new mother knew Maa? She spoke her tongue and knew their ways? How did this woman come to be?

"It is not easy to be the center of a Vulcan's adoration. Their ways are alien as well as their biology but I assure that my son places no one higher than you," she said softly. "No matter what you go through Nyota, I as your new mother will not forsake you. It is the very least I can do for you and to honor the mother I am sure did not want to lose her daughter."

Nyota's face folded somberly at the mention of her mama and fought the water brimming up along her eyes. "Thank you, I...I will honor your family and give you many grandchildren, mama."

"My name is Amanda but mama is just fine. Let's not talk about children just yet. I hear that birds and the bees have set you on edge. Is it my Spock-kam or just the thought of it in general? I know the Maasai are a someone modest people when it comes to such activities."

"The birds and the bees? Those animals do not bother me…"

At that Amanda laughed and pulled Nyota down by her shoulders to sit beside her. "Excuse me, that's an idiom. It is not common around here and I sometimes forget myself. I mean to say that is there anything I can do to help or has my son been off putting? He is stubborn and even a bit cheeky at times. Both traits got him into a number of fights."

Nyota was still flabbergasted by her new knowledge that Spock was half human and her mother was a person that she had only heard tales about. She certainly didn't look sickly here nor did Amanda have an air about her that said she felt entitled. Grabbing herself a mug of changaa and a few pockets of samosas she actually looked quite at home if not more at ease than Nyota felt. _Ho_ (whoa- swahili), this day never ceases in its amazements Nyota thought cheerful as she retrieved her mug from Adia.

"Actually he has been quite cordial…"

Amanda sniffed with a smirk and chewed over her food. "Oh darling you can be frank with me. I raised him and he's my baby yet but not enough days have gone by to make me forget how much of an arrogant, little terror he can be."

The other mothers in the room chuckled and made their own comments about facing the same dilemma. Amanda finished off one of her savory pastries and licked her lips. "You know what? You've yet to have a wedding fete. From what I've heard about girls in your area you have next to nothing and how gets excited about marriage if you don't throw a party, eh sisters?"

The others cheered and raised their voices in agreement. "Let's dress her up!"

"Oh let's rub her down with coconut oil and ochre. Her mate will be so taken with her skin!"

"Give her another drink. I'll shave her down."

"Oh not too much to drink she'll need so water less she get an urinary infection from all the relations! Remember to pee frequently, Nyota!"

"Bring her here! Let's put down some of her hair! Anyone got henna for her hands? Sydah may have some. It would look so pretty. Oh, and kohl!"

Nyota looked around in surprise, as she was rushed and prodded. Their attention went from cooking and eat to gussying the maiden up. None except Amanda had ever had such a party so anytime someone suggested such an event it always caused a joyous commotion.

Each one spoke over the other as they peppered her with advice and how tos while performing a task. Adia plied her with changaa while Esha fed her leaves stuffed with coconut rice. Sydah came from her house and set about decorating her hands and feet. It was amazing to see her at work and also hear about her homeland far along the east.

Amanda oversaw the preparation with glee and sent Kingasunye over to her house to fetch some jewelry. " Tell Sarek I want my nicest pieces, please. Thank you sister."

Nyota felt overwhelmed by the amount of attention she was garnering and the amount of effort each woman put into their work. Maybe it was nice to have something to celebrate that was familiar with traditions and rituals that were familiar in an alien place. As they ushered her towards the back and striped her down Esha brought back a jar of coconut oil and immediately began to slather her down. " Naeku, hold my baby, eh? I going to make this girl's bottom shine like the moon!"

" Oh my goodness Esha stop!" Nyota laughed and pushed her hands in protest.

Adia chuckled and pointed at her face. " Look at how she's blushing just from Esha's hands! Spock is going to make her turn completely red for weeks once they're through! Don't forget her breasts, he surely won't!"

" You two are so crude!" she groused.

" We wouldn't know but your new mama is worse than us." Adia winked. Esha chuckled and blinked at Amanda who merely rolled her eyes innocently. " I have no idea what these two liquor peddlers are talking about, Nyota. I'm as pure as the freshly driven snow upon Mount Kenya."

" There's snow up there?"

" Wouldn't you like to know…" she teased and the four of them laughed at her suspect joking.

Kingasunye came back with a small sack and Amanda set the small glittering piece across the bed for Nyota's inspection. "Choose as many as you want."

"Mama no...these are too nice...I couldn't…"

Amanda waved her away and held up the sparkling gem beaded bangles and necklaces. "Nonsense. You are my daughter and even if we weren't having an impromptu wedding party I would still want you to take some. I always wanted a girl and anyone who has put up with my Spock- _kam_ has got to be a hell of woman. Besides Sarek keeps on giving me so many of these silly baubles I can hardly keep up with them all. I wish he gave me as much bread and coffee as he gives me jewelry! This mountain is littered with mineral and gold veins and Vulcans absolutely adore shiny rocks."

Nyota giggled at her mother in law's enthusiasm and shyly looked over the pieces. It wasn't until Esha and Adia finished oiling her down and started shoving on some of the pieces did Nyota voice an opinion as to which ones she fancied.

As she tried to cover up Ayana tapped her bottom to stop her meekness. "You don't have anything we haven't all seen already. Besides half of us here went topless before our husbands claimed us. Are you always _so_ shy?"

Kingasunye clicked her tongue and shook her head. "No, no auntie! I heard about Nyota...out there giving a demonstration to those young bucks in the mara. You weren't shy then were you, eh?"

"How has everyone found this out?! I haven't spoken to anyone about it and yet I feel like this whole village knows my business."

Kingasunye hummed into her mug and swallowed down the brew as she watched Adia's steady hand busy shaving away Nyota's hair from the neck down. "Oh sweet sister everyone knows everyone's business here. Besides it was extra juicy because everyone knows that Spock must have been livid with those whelps with putting him in such a position. He is known around the compound for being stoic to a fault. Always striving to be perfectly Vulcan. So the fact that he mated or better yet _pretended_ to mate with you out in front of those herdsmen and lashed out on Rovoc was beyond our wildest imagination. It was like a gazelle learning to roar, it was just ridiculous!"

Adia tapped Nyota's hip and she spread her legs apart so she could better trim her. Esha collected her baby from Neaku and voiced her agreement. "Since I've known him Spock has never been violent and he is quite modest compared to the other males hybrids around here as far as his body and carriage but it did not surprise me that he did something out of the ordinary to protect you. All he did for all the years I've known him was build his house, study swahili from his mother and practice speaking with us. That was it, herding, building and studying. Ah, it was cute to see him so excited. Even if he didn't show it on his face, in those last few days we could just tell something was different. He was eager to see you again."

Nyota smiled softly at Amanda who was watching her face as she listened to the story. "I really mean a lot to him."

Amanda nodded with a slow blink and happy sigh. "Everything, darling. You look beautiful."

"Really?"

They nodded and Naeku brought a bowl of water for Nyota to see herself in. Nyota stared down at her nude reflection and parted her lips in awe. She hardly recognized herself.

Her body had become a mix of beauty ideals from all the surrounding nations. Her hair was unbraided and set into a high ponytail at the crown of her head. Her oiled, hairless skin was smooth and lightly scented. Henna, bands and bangles decorated her arms and legs and Ada's belly chain accented her slight waist and wide hips. Turning her head to see the thin oval stones sparkling at her ears, Nyota took a deep breath.

Her appearance startled her. This was really how alluring she looked?

Amanda came up behind her and placed a robe around her shoulders. Nyota gladly accepted it, happy to have some of her body off of display. The dark garment reminded her of Spock's robe back at their home and she was suddenly looking forward to seeing him. What would he think of her new look?

Leaning over towards her ear Amanda chimed happily. "Sometimes to feel confident we have to look confident and you my dear look gorgeous. After Spock sees you I won't see you two for another lunar month."

Nyota smiled brightly and Amanda gave her a squeeze on her shoulders. "I know Spock has a lot of feelings surrounding his _pon farr_ and his behavior towards you therein but go into this physical relationship knowing he loves you more than anything. He is wholly committed to you, Nyota. I can say that so surely because I can feel it from him."

Nyota exhaled and felt lighter lighter with her breath. "I know, I can feel it too. I just was too scared to acknowledge it."

The others continued to fawn and instruct her when Nyota noticed a troubled look flashing over Kibibi's face. "Kibibi? What is it?"

Kibibi straightened and shook her head as if she were coming out of a daze and smiled weakly. "I should go. I am needed elsewhere."

"What? Did I say something to offend you?"

Kibibi smiled strengthen at Nyota's deference and shook her head. " It's Ulihar… I think it would be best to pay him a visit."

"Oh! That would be good. He spoke so much about you this afternoon after he half scared me to death."

Kibibi nodded and pulled at the bindings around her breasts. "I know what you mean. Some would believe that Vulcans have no sense of humor but that trickster shows them otherwise. Naeku put some of that oil on me, I want to smell nice."

Naeku did so at her leisure and Nyota thought over the afternoon again. If she were going to see Ulihar then that meant Spock would most likely be with him. "Kibibi, could you pass a message for me to Spock?"

"Of course, if he's there. What do you want to say?"

Licking her lips and looking back in the mirror, Nyota thought over the landmarks. They had past a small excuse for a river, one deep and slow enough to perform rites in. She did not want to ruin all the work the women had put in but she did want to go there for purification before the act. "Tell him to find me at the river. I will be waiting there for him."

A/N: My betas are fucking amazing. You would not be reading this right now if it weren't for them. Many thanks!

shadows of africa has a fab website where I got some of my research and learned a great many thing about the tribal nations and religions of Kenya. Many of them even both the introduction of Christianity believed in one god or adam and eve figures and have really fascinating tales to go along with them. Srsly go to that site and just look at all those beautiful pictures!

A number of these tribes have their women go topless ( There's a look but don't touch policy in most places as well and from what I've seen/read/researched the punishment is severe. The turkana people pay a fine of lashing and 100 goats! One titty grab and you royally get yo ass whooped literally and financially). I have figured I should have everyone at least a little covered because of the Vulcans being all like mine and their sense of modesty ( though were they are gets both hot and cool so shukas and heavy scarves are needed).

Putting on makeup and keeping your skin supple is big! Kenya has a whole host of climates from snowy mountain peaks to arid desert plains to humid, palm tree beaches and of course the savannah or mara. Given the conditions many tribes use coconut or shea depending upon availability to keep everything moisturized. The ochre pastes helps to hold it in and it also looks pretty so win win.

I've been waiting to note this for a while but technically Vulcan females ALSO go through pon farr but I didn't want that added dimension in this story. It's long and convoluted enough as is LOL. How long it last varies but popular fan-cannon ranges from 1 to 3 days ( some had a week! Rly? Srsly? Gtfo, can't nobody do that for like a straight week…or can they?.)


	15. Chapter 15: Under your curse

Ralek cursed mildly under his breath as he rolled the stone and recovered the gate. " The last time I go drinking with you all."

His grumbling fell on deaf ears as Spock cleared the small ridge housing the entrance with a calculated leap and hit the ground in a canting gait. As he jumped he startled a Vulcan walking beneath it. He didn't spare a glance to see who it was but he quickly made an apology for his brashness. He was on a mission and he wouldn't be delayed any further.

Kibibi had come from the woman's party a little before dawn and there was no telling how long his slow walk with Oratt had taken. He did not want to keep either of them waiting especially with Nyota possibly being on her own out in the brush. She was a capable woman but she was his.

Spock skid to a stop and surveyed the mara from his vantage point. It was early morning but it sun promised to be fair come midday. Rainy season was approaching and the earth was hungry for its fruits.

Taking a knee Spock calmed himself and used the six senses available to him. Smell proved to be the best lead as he caught a hint of human. When Nyota had asked in the past what humans smelled like Spock had told her the ocean. Briny with a touch of peat, the beings of this world smelled like the planet they dwelt on.

Spock sniffed again and snorted to clear his nose. Nyota wasn't near by but she had been through the bush as he picked up her scent.

He crashed through the branches and bushes and gave his legs the whole of his strength as he went down towards the river. He edged around where it could first be spotted and then followed it downstream along the bank where he found whiffs of her musk.

She was waiting for him. He could feel her inside him towards the back of his mind. She felt good, as if she were lighter and sweeter than before. The subdued excitement he felt between them drove him faster down the bank. He broke the treeline and sped out into the open Mara disturbing the local animal residents as he flew by in his haste.

A herd of elephants shook their massive heads at him and circled around their calves. Spock snorted in their direction in response to their wariness. It wasn't them he was hunting. His mate had laid a trail and issued a challenge for which he had the odds in his favor. Best not to disappoint her by keeping her waiting. Spock has told her once before that she shouldn't give chase because he would be hard pressed to not stalk her down.

It appeared that she remembered his warning but was using it to both their advantage. When he caught her she was going to regret it...at least rue the time she waited to have him please her. He would see to it.

Spock followed the bank until it branched out into three separate creeks. He scanned the distance ahead to see where they led. The one farthest to his left went on towards the west to feed into the huge lake Natron while the one to his right gravitated towards the Galana river. Stepping towards the one at the middle he pulled along their bond and felt her vaguely dead ahead. _Got you_.

Forging through the water Spock continued carefully towards the middle stream's bank. Even in water this low crocodiles could hide their huge bodies in the shallows. Hippos were more obvious but in some ways more dangerous.

Clearing the water he resumed the charge and headed towards a small copse of trees. The small, musical stream cut through the small woodlands and would be the perfect hiding place for a small, little Maasai. Spock huffed as his feet struck the hard ground and propelled him forward. Approaching the brush he felt his proximity towards Nyota increase and tug teasingly at his skin. His legs moved faster at the prospect of finding her and he found himself breaking through the bramble only a few minutes later.

He waded through the calf deep water and sniffed at the air. It was hard to hear anything over the sound of birds and rushing water but he listened as well. As he rounded a bend a gentle whiff of coconut stood starkly out of place. He went onto the bank and followed after it. The faint scent went in and out as he went after it. Growing frustrated he smelled for her arousal and was rewarded with a clear direction towards his right. _Found you._

He hurdled over a fallen tree and vaulted over a small boulder as he made a beeline towards the heady perfume. Ducking and diving Spock moved swiftly between the trunks. He didn't slow until he spotted her robe. Or rather his mother's. He walked over to the clothing and thumbed the dark, silky material. Ahh they had met? He looked up from the robe and called out into the open. " _Du sai-vel fam_? _T'du' taven_? ( Thou lacks thine clothing. Well I now lack mine common decency.)"

" _Ri_ …( Good…)"

Spock spun around and noted more clothing but his wife was still out of sight. " _Wilat-du?_ ( Where art thou?)"

Her laughter filled the air." Cease your high Vulcan. I know what you're thinking and it's nothing proper."

"You do not know half of what I'm thinking, Nyota." Spock hummed leaving the robe behind. He headed back towards the river bank and a flash of color caught his eye and he looked down to see her skirt. To the left of it was her shuka and to the left of that her underwear. A small splash caught his attention and looked up to see his mate there in the river wet, bare and waiting on him.

Spock inhaled sharply and fought to rein in his rapidly fraying control. Stunning did not even begin to describe the maid who was his wife. Strong yet delicate, Nyota was the epitome of all that he found beautiful.

Narrowing his eyes at her Spock chuffed his approval with a slow blink. " _Du abru-kic'blu Nyota nash veh._ ( You overwhelm me Nyota.)"

Nyota covered herself in modesty but made no move towards her clothing. She stood there on the far side of the bank with her arms banded around her as she watched him studying her from the riverbank.

After what felt like minutes Spock took a step toward her and then another as she remained passively in place. He came to stand in front of her looking down as she gazed up with equal curiosity. Her skin was wet and goose pimpled from her time spent in the river and Spock wondered how soft she would feel from the water.

Slowly he reached out and placed his fingers onto her shoulder. She allowed his touch and made one of her own as she extended her hand and brushed it against his chest. His eyes fluttered closed and his hand closed around her shoulder, delighting in the inquiring caress. When she passed a particularly sensitive spot below his clavicle his chest vibrated with a deep, rumbling purr. Her hand recoiled and he opened his eyes to find her searching his face for pleasure, annoyance or madness. She was uncertain of the sound's nature and he could feel her apprehension building from where his hand was resting.

Gently he took her hand and replaced it at his collarbone, staring into her eyes as he resumed purring at her. Nyota's eyes flared wide as she felt his sound reverberate through his skin and into her palm. " _Ama_ (Whoa- Maasai)…"

Feeling a little bolder, she moved her henna stained hand from underneath his and traveled up his neck, lightly grazing her fingers along the stubble on his jaw. He exhaled and beckoned her through the bond to explore further. She reached his chin and paused, watching his face as she rubbed her fingertips across his lips.

Spock shivered and huffed, staying still as under her inspection as he was finally rewarded with her wantingly touching his body. Her eyes darted over and she reached up with both hands to cup his ears. He practically cooed at the cool embrace. His pupils dilated and focused in on her face. " Nyota..."

"Touch me," she exhaled with a pant. Her excitement pricked at his skin and tickled his nose as her arousal grew. Was she welcoming him to mate?

Spock tilted his head and surveyed her lithe form for where he would like to touch first. The swell of her rear was tempting but his eyes went back and forth between her bottom and her bosom. Following his gaze Nyota gently cupped her breasts and released them with a bounce. "Touch me," she asked again with her face aglow.

Slowly Spock trailed his hands from her collarbone between the pert mounds. He waited for her common protest to stop and continued to watch her face for any signs of unwillingness.

When Nyota gave him nothing but a small shiver Spock blithely continued down and around the soft curvature of her bust. Her skin was pleasantly cool against his hand as his body had grown more fevered with each passing day. Drawing his hands away he held them above the delicate peaks at the center. His pressed his intention through their bond and with a quick nod of reassurance to him Nyota watched as he all too eagerly brought his large hands down onto the soft, supple flesh, cupping them in his palm.

Her breath quickened as his hot hands took their time in capturing and exploring the dusky nipples at the middle. His eyes darted from her face to her legs as she squirmed under his attention. Lifting his hands Spock looked at the tightening buds with rapt fascination.

He had never touched any female as he was doing with Nyota and though he had feared her displeasure from his inexperience she seemed to be enjoying his curious touch.

Nyota's emotional energy poured over his fingers like running water. As his thumbs teased her nipples Nyota's timid lust burned at his hands like cold flame. Seeking to stoke it further, Spock caught the tender flesh between his vee'd fingers and gently tugged.

Her face crumpled as if pained but her desire bit at his palm as she swayed closer. " Spock…"

Emboldened by her leaning into his touch the young Vulcan bent forward and brought his mouth down towards the mound. With a glance up at her flushed face Spock took a tentative lick of her right breast and waited.

She gasped with a moan as she caught his head between her hands. Knitting her fingers into his hair she guided him back towards her chest. Spock went down onto his knees and took ahold of her waist. His body tremored with need but he knew from the meld with T'Kaas that he should be as gentle and slow as possible. This time that he took to explore and warm her to his attentions would help Nyota to shoulder the burden of mating for the first time.

Nuzzling the fat breast across his face Spock would make sure to do just that. As her nipple dragged against his cheek Spock turned to it and fastened his lips around it. Nyota's nails bit at his scalp and he pulled the bud down and into his mouth with a hum. The few hairs left on her sex tickled his chest as she pushed up against him. She mewed as if pained but he could tell from their bond that his suckling had excited her. She wanted more.

Switched to the other breast Spock's left hand slid down her belly and over the sparse patch of hair between her legs. Nyota wobbled as she stepped her legs apart and welcomed whatever he'd give her. Wonderful, he thought, how wonderful it was to have her inviting him in. Nothing had prepared him for how mirthful this experience was making him. He only hoped that she felt half as jocund as he did.

His left hand parted the cleft of her sex and he ran one thick finger from her clit to the hot dip of her channel. She cried out and crushed his head against her chest. "Spock...I'm ready."

His mouth went slack and released her breast with a wet pop. Looking up from where he knelt Spock gazed up at her face. "Truly. You would have me?"

Nyota bit her lip with a smile and nodded. "I want to...I want you, just please don't stop touching me."

Spock swept her up into the air and against his chest. Nuzzling against her face he murmured softly. " _Taluhk nash-veh k'dular_ , ( I cherish thee)" he breathed into her ear. " _Taurauk ta'an, vaksurik kudaya nash veh_ … (Amazing gift, blessing that delights this one,)"

"What did you say…?"

He nipped at her jaw and hummed in amusement. " Even if you did not comprehend my words, you understand them yet, _pi'lara_."

She made a pleased noise as he worked his mouth around her neck and wrapped her legs around his slight waist. "Maybe I _do_ know and just want to hear you say it again…?"

" _Du aitlu'a mavau-tor? Kal-tor mavau pi'lara_ …(You want to play? We can play, little bird…)" he offered in a husky voice.

Nyota's fear spiked but ebbed as he rubbed her back. "' _Ki'kogavik, nash veh du._ ( This one will be gentle to you.)"

Nyota smiled meekly as he carried her over to the mossy bank and set her down. Her hair fanned out on the ferns and she fidgeted. " Quit staring at me like that…"

"I cannot," he said truthfully, admiring her figure. All of that beautiful brown expanse before him was his to touch now. His eyes slowly skimmed across her, eager to have their fill of the gift before him. The rest of his body was soon to follow in equal ravenousness. The tremors and aches that had recently bedeviled him would soon be lifted with her body's kiss. Best of all he was wanted, welcomed and awaited by her. No violence would be made towards her and Spock found his fear abated.

Nyota shyly parted her legs and held her arms out to the side. " Touch me…"

He would never tire of hearing her say that.

Spock's hand went to his belt when a noise caught his ear. He turned just as the projectile knocked him blind. He reeled back with a gasp as a rock crashed against his face. Nyota sat up and reached for him. "Spock! What hap…"

Just then a line of Maasai broke through the bush line behind her. She turned just as one of them seized her arms and raised his spear. "Die Mgeni! This one was never yours!"

"Asa…! But how?!"

The name left his mate's lips and Spock's anger overtook him. That male had his hands on her, making an attempt to take she who was his! Spock's nose flared and his lips curled back with a snarl. The men flanked out around him brought their thin oblong shields out in front of them.

Spock felt his mind slipping and churning as he eyed his adversaries. His body tremored as instinct took hold and unsheathed his bloodlust. A flash of heat brought him to knees and revealed to him his coming fever. He couldn't fight it, no longer would it be held at bay. With his willing mate captured before copulation by a rival male the madness now consumed him. Pon farr was at its height and plak tow would overtake him in a matter of hours.

Another tremor rattled through him and one of the men took it as a potential opening for attack. One of the warriors charged quickly with his spear at the ready. Spock took one glance at him before launching into a countercharge. Leaping to his feet he sped towards the adversary at an inhuman speed.

Startled, the warrior released his spear early. Spock caught the javelin mid-air and broke its pole. Not breaking his stride the Vulcan continued to run until his fist ran through the warrior's shield and connected with his chest. The man's momentum was stopped and reversed backwards as Spock sent his body fly through the air and into a tree.

As his body rebounded off the trunk and landed with a thud, the surrounding warriors balked back but held their spears at the ready. Their faces were etched with concern as they looked to Asa for direction. It was no matter to him who Spock menaced, if they challenged him for his mate their actions would be met with no mercy.

Nyota's voice and subsequent pleas to be set free caught his ear. His body jerked toward her with a growl and stalked slowly towards her. She was fighting the male who had her as he forced clothes up over her body. She had no need for such things, not now, not with him so close. " _Sadalau...ko_ … ( Release...her…)" he growled eyeing her captor.

The captor sniffed at his request and pulled Nyota against him. "You growl at me like a mindless beast! And to think just because you can throw your weight around that my people are frightened of you! You're nothing more than a lion man who wishes to lay with all our women before you eat them! Run before I slay you skin walker!"

Nyota's captor then signaled his men forward and paused when Spock roared at them. Summoning up all the effort he could Spock found the words in Swahili to best describe his mind. "You call me mindless but neither of us have yet...to see me in such a state. Release my wife and I will leave you in peace. _Kiv tehnau fa-wak stau nash-veh du_. ( If you resist, I will kill you.)"

Spock ended with Vulcan as his mind failed in translation. His eye was swelling along with the pain in his head from the surprise hit earlier and made it difficult for him to think clearly. Whatever had hit him earlier must have been shot by a sling to have caused him this much vexation.

Spock blinked and stumbled as another fever tic rocked through him. He did not want to harm the men but he was losing his hold over his reasons as to why not. When he looked at that male with she who was his wife he wanted nothing more than to crush his neck and crack his bones! This male would die and he and Nyota would rut over his corpse!

Spock shook his head and held it up by the temple...no he did not want that. It was illogical, crude, obscene! Violence was…what was that again?

The hand on his head went to his eye and tried desperately to ease the stinging. He gasped as his lungs constricted and bellowed violently at the air. His normally dry mouth felt as if he could drink forever and never be sated. Spock groaned and fell to his knees. This fever...it was so strong…it hurt, he hurt...

The male holding his mate shouted orders at the others and they charged at Spock as one unit. He was having trouble subduing his mate and Nyota was landing a few choice blows to his person. This male had probably not counted on her resistance or her strength. One than once Nyota had gotten free only to be drug back away from him.

Spock closed his eyes and let the rage roll over him. There was no use fighting himself when he had others to combat. Sick or not his mate needed him.

At the first blow of one of their clubs and the stinging bite of their blades Spock erupted from his kneeling position. The was no reason in how he fought, no logic other than to get to Nyota. The warrior closest to him was winding up to bludgeon him again when his arm shot out and snagged it. Jerking his weight behind his limb he sent the young warrior towards him. As soon as he was close enough he brought down his fist onto the warrior's ear and knocked the male down to the dirt with a groan.

To the one with the spear stabbing his forearm Spock took ahold of the spear and pulled him forward with a cracking headbutt. But for each ended attack it felt like two more were started. His body reacted with years of muscle memory, deflecting blow as best he could and sweeping inside of openings to defeat his opponents but he his strength and mind were waning from the fever.

He had just turned to face Nyota when he spotted Asa's spear barrelling towards his chest. He started to move but his fevered limbs protested and failed him. Locking eyes with Nyota Spock winced as the spear found its mark and impaled him.

Nyota screeched and clawed towards him " Nooo!"

The last thing he saw was Nyota breaking free and running towards him along with the rest of the warriors.

A/N: A huge thank you to my betas! Mwah mwah mwah! Next two chapters out this weekend


	16. Chapter 16: An untraditional warrior

A/N: Okay enough being cruel with a cliffhanger. PalomD asked for more and I cannot deny her.

Asa charged Spock as the Vulcan went down to his knees. With a practiced downswing the young warrior sent the tip of his spear crashing into Spock's bare chest.

" Nooo!"

Nyota was knocked onto her side as Spock reeled back with a snarling grunt. The blade was buried right beneath his left pectoral muscle and held its place between his ribs. His face was contorted as he held the shaft and fell back onto the ground.

" Spock! Spock no!"

She started towards him, stumbling as she pushed her legs to move quicker than they were able. She had just touched his shoulder when Asa caught her around the waist and picked her up. "No! Let me go! Spock!"

"You are coming with me!" he shouted, striking her once more before throwing her over his shoulder but Nyota was not to be trifled with. She clawed, kicked and bit at her captor any place she could reach. She fought him both clean and dirty, anything to get free and help Spock. Her husband was still holding the pole but was now slumped over the algae covered bank with blood the color of bile spilling from his wound. He remained still and mute as the others moved in to finish the job Asa started.

" Spock! SPOCK! No!" she wailed, whipping her body to get free.

He was dead she was sure of it and he did so trying to save her. She never even got to tell him goodbye and even more upsetting was never getting to tell him that she loved him. Nyota sobbed and closed her eyes against the stabbing ache to her chest. Spock had gone above and beyond to win her trust but she made the goal of gaining it unobtainable and she would never be able to make it up or take it back.

Tears ran hot down her face as she kicked and jerked on Asa's shoulder. She wanted to hold Spock. She needed to tell him everything she felt now that she was faced with his death. She just wanted him back. "Spock!" she wailed reaching an arm out as if to grab him back out of the copse of trees they left behind.

"Shut your mouth! Quit wasting your tears on that mgeni mongrel!"

That frightful anger she experienced during her time cooking the ugali seized Nyota at his words. Her husband had been far from a mongrel and she would not tolerate the offense. Leaning down to his head she bit Asa's ear as hard as she could muster.

" Ahh! YOU _wench_!" he wailed. He released her with a shove and clutched at the severed cartilage. "You devil! They've gotten to you!"

Nyota hit the ground with thud and rolled to a stop. Glaring at him she spat back the blood and flesh she had gnawed off with venom. "You're the devil! What have you become!? You fight me with no honor! If my father knew you touched me in such a way he would stripe your back red!"

"What do you know of honor, mgeni whore?!" he hissed, moving towards her. Nyota scrambled to her feet and went back in the direction of Spock. Maybe Ulihar and the other sentries would see or hear the commotion but this river glade where Spock had finally found her was a good ways off from the compound they were protecting. She screamed none the less, calling to anyone who would help her save them from the fiercest warriors on the Mara. "Help! Help someone please! _Gol-tor_!"

Spock! She had to save his body for burial before they butchered him like a lion carcass!

Nyota panted through her bloody mouth and ran back towards her fallen family. Her knife was back at the river but maybe she could snag it before the others noticed her presence. She might not make it in time but she was his warrior as much as he was hers and Nyota would never forsake her call to protect.

Pumping her legs as fast as she could Nyota ran over the dry ground as it cut into her feet. _I'm coming, I'll save you_ she thought within her mind but there was no sense of Spock within her. Terror gripped her as she began to truly believe the worst had befallen him. On the off chance she was wrong though, on the slim odds that he had survived Nyota continued to run towards her husband and away from Asa.

Asa had gained on her though, his ear now forgotten as he tore after her like a cheetah with the advantage of footwear. "Get back here!"

" Spock! Ulihar! Ralek! Hel…."

Her words were cut off as Asa's weight crashed into her. They skid and tumbled across the ground, kicking up dirt, rocks and stray grass in their wake. As the dust washed over them and cleared Asa was the first to move. Nyota had tried but flinched in pain from the bloody rash she had gain from being grated across the rocky terrain.

She tried rolling away instead but the warrior launch himself onto her legs and clamored up onto her back. Nyota screamed as he took a hold of her hair and pushed her into the dirt with his hips.

"They've brainwashed...turned you into their whore! But I remind you of your place! Of the people you abandoned! YOU were MINE!" he raged beating at his chest with an open hand before pointing back towards the river. " Not that raping animal's plaything!"

"No please! Asa listen! Bring me back to the river! He's my husband! The others will come and when they find out what you did..." she choked with a sob. Spock...

Asa pulled at her skirt as Nyota squirmed away and tried to buck him off. " No you listen, you demon lover! You turned your back the moment you were willing to go to that beast! That creature could no more be your husband than a lion could be my wife! Even if you let that thing soil you I will still have what is mine! You just need to be cured of this madness."

Nyota didn't think that Asa still had intentions of wedding her. Why would he when it would be so much easier to give up on stealing her away and just marry whomever he wanted in the village? He surely had his pick as heir apparent for chief of Namanga but yet here he was stalking after her. His actions if completely carried through could incite a war between the Maasai and the Mgeni!

Had she made it clear that she would not shirk her duty to her people for his hand? She was not worth the whole of her nation.

She struggled against his hold but Asa held firm in his grip. He was spitting mad at her. The proud warrior had come to 'rescue' her and Nyota returned the grand gesture by beating at him and calling for Spock. His male pride wounded Asa sought to mend it by taking what he always wanted.

Growing frustrated he ripped at the skirt's bindings and threw it aside. She screeched at him as he tugged her hair once more to bring her ear up to his mouth. "You should have run away with me…! If that other mgeni hadn't told me about where you were, you'd probably be pumped full of that foul creature's seed...is that what you want? To whelp crossbreds?!"

He shook her then and flipped her to her back with a thud.

" No please! NO!" she wailed scratching at his arms. Once again her life was reeling out of control. It wasn't enough to take away her family or her way of life and replace it with an alien mate and culture. Now it sought to rip all of comfort away again with her past life coming to violently haunt her.

Spock was gone and their future together along with him. Now Asa was going to…Oh God what was he going to do to her! She had to fight! Always fight, struggle, live!

Nyota screeched and clawed his face with a quick swipe of her hand as panic and anger took hold. " I'm so tired of this! Everyone has been trying to possess me like some sort of trinket! I'm sick of this! I am not something you can own! I. Am. _Not_. YOURS!"

Asa took his blade from side and held it to her neck. Nyota stopped her fighting as the knife's edge bit her skin. Glaring down at her Asa moved the dagger up over her face with a scowl. " Be still you jackal-bitch! Look at you!? You were all over him like a bitch in heat! It will take a warrior rooted in traditional to purge you, you filthy, disgusting woman!"

Nyota teared up angrily at his accusations and spat into his face. "Look at yourself, Asa! _You Are No Warrior!_ I'm _more_ of a warrior than _you_ , you murdering thief!"

Asa laughed then, a bitter, ugly noise as looked back at her defiant face with contempt. His slap came with no warning as his hand connected with her cheek. Caught off guard Nyota bit the inside of her mouth with a cry.

Her vision faded between color and darkness as Asa grabbed her head by the chin and shouted. " You!? A warrior?! Do you take me for a _fool_?! I came to rescue you and you have given me _nothing_ but sass! You did nothing to fight that mgeni off, just opened your legs to invite him in. We'll see how you act when you're CUT like you were _suppose_ to be!"

"NO!" she shirked in horror. She had never feared being cut before because that was never a future that faced her. Now she had this monster above her with the threat to do just that. He took her Spock away but he would not make away with her virtue or any part of her sex.

Nyota closed her eyes as she grappled for a way to free herself when she heard a resounding thump and sickening crack above her. The grip on her chin loosened and she heard another thud to her side.

Her eyes snapped open and saw Asa lying what would have been face down if his head hadn't be twisted around so that he now faced his back. A look of shock was stuck on his face and Nyota mirrored his expression as she looked up to where Spock was wheezing above her.

"Spock…!" she cried, clamoring over as he fell back down to the ground. His pale face was slack and his breathing was labored but he looked at her in adoration as he took in her stricken face.

" _Du_ …"

" Me? Me what?" she asked, cupping his face and kissing his forehead. "Oh God your wound! Oh no…!"

Nyota snagged her skirt cloth and shredded the fabric without a second thought. She stuffed the larger strips against the wound and used the thinner longer ones to hold the makeshift bandage in place. He was hot, so much that it almost hurt to touch him. "Spock...Oh God...please don't die…!"

Spock's eyes fluttered as he wheezed with every breath. Nyota pulled his head onto her lap and soothed him as best she could. " Oh, my poor, sweet Spock...Oh God please no...Spock I'm so sorry…"

" _Wor...la aksh'lz._..." he croaked looking up at her with glassy, bloodshot eyes. " _T'du...asha..ya...worla...aksh'lz_ …( Never ashamed/regretting, You are my love...never ashamed or regretting…)"

Nyota sobbed and held him tighter. "No but I am ashamed. I was so scared of sex, of Vulcans and never allowed myself to trust you when you did everything you could to earn it! Oh _please_ don't _die_...please... _please_ …! Please _stay_! Let's start anew and let me love you!"

Spock swallowed loudly in her arms and took a shuddering breath. "Nash...ashau du veh? ( You...love this one?)"

Nyota sniffled into his head as she nodded emphatically. "Yes... _yes I love you, you stubborn bull_! Just _please don't die_! Please… _don't leave me, please_!"

Spock hummed against her cheek as she cupped his face alongside hers and wallowed in the proclamation of her love. As their temples brushed for first time since she had been dragged away by Asa did Nyota feel him in her mind. He was pleased...no he was happy, oh no more than that even!

He relished the lush brilliance of her psyche as a part of herself she never knew closed was now unlocked and beckoning Spock inside. The Vulcan gratefully came in and settled there inside that sacred space with a mental sigh. Nyota stiffened as she felt him pushing away the pain of his body and letting go of the confines and shook him with a keen. "NO no don't leave!"

/ _k'wuhli hi worla k'wuhli_ ( Apart but never parted{separated}), he spoke within her mind.

" Spock! Spock? Spo…"

A noise left her mouth she hadn't once heard before as she grieved aloud and alone on the hot, golden plain. Just as they had on the evening of her culling the subjects of the mara fell silent at her cry. Clutching his still body she nuzzled him, kissing his slack face and stiff jawed mouth in an attempt to rouse his unresponsive body.

"HOW!? How could you do this to me!? I love you! I LOVE YOU! How could you leave the day that…! I...you don't get to do this!"

But through it all his dark eyes went on unblinking as they stared up at her unfocused and smiling. She gasped and leaned against him as her throat and chest threatened to stop her breath under the weight of her grief. She had lost everything. A bitterness inside of her reminded Nyota of her continued virginity and angrily swept it away. What was the use of that when they one she wanted to give it to was no longer able to receive the gift?

She sat back up and tried again to summon him back to this world but all her calls and embraces went unanswered. A wrap of their fingers, his hand to her face, their foreheads butted together; none of it woke her S'haile from his frozen sleep. Giving up on her failed efforts Nyota finally allowed herself to fully give herself to her compounding grief. With his heavy torso still propped up against her legs she folded herself over him and used her voice to fill the silence of the savannah their exchange had created.

At some point during her mourning, the sentries found her, lured there by her uncontrollable lamenting. Two of them carried Spock's limp body while Ulihar excused his touch of her person and carried her back to the compound. As they arrived Ulihar brought her to Sarek.

He had been waiting near the open gate, his face as still as a pillar. Only his rush to greet the group betrayed his panic as he went first to Spock before accepting Nyota's person. He softly murmured apologies and readily took her into his arms.

At the touch of her skin her father in law inhaled sharply. It was Nyota's first time seeing him but she could hardly focus on his cool countenance and handsome face. He was like Spock but even more unknown to her as his face showed no signs at all of his mind and heart at work. His strength was as strong if not greater than Spock's and he was just as hot to the touch. As she sobbed he looked down at her face, searching for answers to all the questions he had.

He blinked and ran his fingers over the anger welt Asa's hand had left on her face. His eyes narrowed with a quiet huff as he tucked a bit of her mussed hair behind her ear. He turned to his wife and Amanda followed him and the others carrying Spock to the healer T'Kaas.

Nyota's sobs had attracted a fair amount of Vulcans and humans alike out of their homes but she was beyond caring.

She had lost everything. Her family and friends of Namanga were a distant memory. The only man who truly loved her was killed by the one she thought she had loved. Why had life been so unkind to her?

Nyota's cries were now punctuated by hiccups as Sarek steadily ascended towards the temple from within the Vulcan village. There was no more rage to fight it with only sadness to plead for a stay of mercy. Spock, her Spock.

When the human wives caught sight of her and heard the news from the sentries they joined her in her wailing. Kibibi fell to the ground while Esha and Adia wrapped their arms around each other and cried openingly. The others all took turns fanning Nyota's face and dabbing her cheeks as she hung loosely in Sarek's robed arms.

T'Kaas was waiting patiently for them outside the temple's entrance with her sleeves dragging along the ground. She had been alerted by a messenger and the shrill, mournful sound Nyota was making as they drew closer.

Sarek walked hurried up the steps and explained the nature of their arrival. " Reldai ( Priestess). My _safu_ (son)...his _ka'tra_ (soul and spirit) is inside my _kofu-tomasu_ (marriage daughter) and it is driving her mad with grief. She and the _ka'tra_ both think him dead but he lives though just barely. _Korsau t'kanu_ ( Save my children)."

T'Kaas whipped her hand free of the sleeve's bell and touched Nyota's brow. Nyota's body lurched with cry she felt what little of Spock had been left inside her mind being encased by the healer.

"No, no. NO! Stop!" Nyota screamed clawing at her arm. Amanda went forward to restrain her but Sarek stopped her mid-stride. " No _K'diwa_ , _safu_ might recognize your touch and split himself between you and our _kofu._ It would make his extraction and replacement much more dangerous. I can ward his _ka'tra_ off but you are not equipped to do so."

T'Kaas grunted and withdrew her hand with grim expression. The healer then went to Spock's body and checked his vitals with another disapproving grunt. "His body is plagued with pon farr making it harder for his body to recover from the wounds he has sustained."

Sarek's eyebrows folded minutely as he took in the news. "He still suffers from his fever."

T'Kaas nodded and her father in law exhaled and smoothed his face again. " I see. What is our best course of action?"

Putting her hand to Spock's pale forehead T'Kaas closed her eyes and exhaled. She did not speak again until her concentration had been solidified. "His condition is quite grave if not critical. His heart is weak and his blood pressure is dangerously low. If we use our some of ship reservoirs we could possibly save him."

"Anything. Name whatever price and you shall have it, _reldai_ (priestess)." Sarek promised.

T'Kaas ushered them in and gave a slight shake of her head at his offer. " _Pulau na'vathular k'nuhk._ ( Reach out to others courteously - Surak teaching). When I restore his _ka'tra_ his condition will not be fully healed. If he wakes from his coma, he will be under the full sway of _plak tow_ and think nothing of else but mating. We will do all we can to revive him and prepare her and strengthen him for that time. Come, put them here."

The healer lead them to a large vacant that was typically used for birthing. Sarek and the guards complied and placed the two side beside on a large sheep pelt lining the floor.

"Excuse your touch and restrain her. He will not want to leave his mate and she has already shown she is willing to fight me for him," the healer ordered crisply.

Sarek held her arms while guardsmen took ahold of her legs, averting their gaze away from her barely covered bottom. With a deep breath and a nod to ready their hands the healer aligned her fingers across the couple's temples and pulled at Spock's _ka'tra_.

Almost immediately Nyota jerked and railed against her. " No! NO! MINE! Don't take him from me! NO!"

Though her strength was no match for a Vulcan male's Nyota put everything in her into thrashing against their hold. She did all she could as she felt the _reldai_ gently pull and lift Spock away. NO, her Spock! It was all she had left of him, that hot, pulsing burn within her mind and she was taking him away!

She roared and cursed at them as the Vulcans struggled to maintain a soft grip around her. Nyota teared up with a quailing cry as the pain of extraction seared at her temples and pierced at the base of her skull. It felt like a migraine that had grown arms and was now clawing its way through her head. The fight to hold Spock was making her stomach bunch and knot as she used everything in her to resist the healer..

At one time her mind felt overcrowded but now it was like everything was pouring out and leaving Nyota as an empty shell.

"Stop! Stop it please!" she croaked, but her pleas went unheeded. "Have you...no heart? Leave me be! You Vulcans will be the death of me! Please Amanda help me! Sarek please for Spock have mercy!"

She wailed as Spock's essence slipped down and away from her like water spilt on the dry earth. No matter how furiously one worked to retrieve it the liquid was reclaimed by the dirt. A new presence brushed against her and with a force she didn't know she possessed Nyota struck out and seized her.

/ Thief! You horrible beast! You stole him from me! All I had...you stole him!/

The psyche shook her off as gentle and quick as one would flick their wrist. She did not grab Nyota back but she did not retreat from her mind. / Little maid, your husband lives, though his condition is grave. Cease your grieving and listen to me./

/ Spock is alive…?/

/ Did I not say it plainly enough?/ the voice asked neither annoyed nor sarcastic. / Tell me what you know of our mating time./

/ Mating time? The Pon Farr?/

/ Yes. Tell me all you know now and I will tell you all you need because Spock's life, if he awakens, depends on you./

/ I know what the others told me. Just tell me what to do and I shall do it!/

The presence shifted in her mind and displayed a visual of a mating couple for Nyota's tutelage. / When he comes to you, your mate will be overburdened with a drive to copulate. It is our biological reaction to breeding. Just as animals have their seasons here on the Mara so do we of Vulcan. If he does not mate and break his fever it will overrun him and he will die./

/ Was he was always at risk of dying if we did not…?/

/ Yes, sometimes with great battles or heavy bouts of meditation it can be relieved. It is rare that someone so young as Spock would survive without mating on at least his first and second pon farr./

Nyota hid herself away for a moment as he thought of what Spock risked to win her heart. His life had been literally on the line had she not overcome her fear of him. He respected and cared for her so much that he put his life in Nyota's hands. She was bereaved. / Tell me, every single thing that needs to be done and I will gladly do it. Help me know how to save him./

At her words the presence brightened and came closer as if a beacon. / I will give you a number of elixirs and creams to aid you. Some to soothe pain and others to dull your nerves. When he wakes invite him by presenting yourself. You haven't much time to ease his burning but the ashaya that you two share is pure and will help strengthen your bond./

The vision of the mating couple still played before her eyes and showed Nyota a variety of different positions to be in. When the male swayed above the female and fell onto his side he brought his mate down along with him. He appeared to be stuck which to be honest did not seem unreasonable given Vulcan's member sizes compared to humans but Nyota inquired none the less. / Will he get stuck...like that there?/

/ Yes all males will knot during pon farr. The ability happens during their first pon farr as it helps with conception. Outside of pon farr it will only occur if the male is very aroused. Vulcan females have knots inside of us to help hold the male in inturn but with human females being so much smaller this will not be an issue for you./

Nyota went from watching the couple to her mind's eye as she thought over the these words. / Is a babe most likely to happen? Will I round with child?/

/ There is a high probability given the circumstances and the frequency with which your mate will most likely bed you. Those variables coupled with the knotting should have you take care to watch your moon blood./

Nyota watched the male withdraw and let loose a pool of white from the panting female's channel and huffed. Why hadn't the others told her of this thing? It was definitely something she ought to have learned about!

The Vulcan psyche within her paused and reviewed the moments in question. / Hmm, I was not present but I can only conclude given your regard of mating in general that the other humans sought to only encourage you towards it. Knotting given its nature has been seen among the humans as very alarming. It is not a natural occurrence in your biology so of course you might fear it or at least find it off putting. I say all this to let you know I do not believe that your comrades sought to keep you ignorant, merely brave./

Nyota sighed mentally and slumped physically with fatigue. She was exhausted and there was still so much to be done. So much had happened but once again Nyota didn't know where to begin to sort it out. The presence then pulled and plucked at her and Nyota felt her muscles' tension melt.

/ You are right a lot has happened. I will see to it that you receive guidance in reviewing your trauma but for now you shall rest. My mate and the other healers will see to you and Spock's care. You have conducted yourself quite admirably, Lady Nyota S'chn T'gai. Your mate has survived because of your actions. _Sleep_./

And with another well placed thrum to her mind, Nyota slipped into darkness.

Nyota groaned and blinked at her surroundings. It was early morning but she felt some time had passed since she had last been awake. Spock was at her left, breathing shallowly. His skin radiated heat and his body appeared stiff with pain. The rattling rasp of his breath made her think to get him water when she turned and first found someone else their in the room.

She startled and climbed over Spock, using her body to shield him as he was unable to fight. The stranger merely blinked at her and folded his hands into his lap. His sleepy looking eyes watched her from across the room and she held no clue as to his thoughts. After a while he smiled and rose from his seat. He walked over to the small table behind his chair and poured two mugs of water from the pitcher. "Sorry to frighten you. I'm sure I'd be fearful of any human man too if I had been ambushed by Maasai warriors as you had."

Nyota studied his face and pursed her lips in frustration. Who was this man and how had he come to be here at the temple? This very Vulcan temple.

He must have read the question on her face and thought to answer her as he brought the cups to her. "My name is Ikeno. You have already met my wife. I just happened to be out collecting ingredients for the temple's medicine cellar when I returned to see my wife along with some of guard trying to hold you down. It was amazing to see someone so small give the Vulcans such a hard time. You're like a honey badger!"

"Who is she, your wife?" Nyota asked suspiciously.

" T'Kaas. The only female healer here," he smiled handing her one of the mugs. She took it and brought it to her mouth.

As soon as the water hit her sticky tongue her body took over in guzzling it down as fast as it could. It slipped over the corners of her mouth as she upended the clay mug and finished with a choking gag. She looked back at him sheepishly and handed back the cup. "Thank you. I didn't realize I was so thirsty."

Ikeno only smiled and handed her the other mug. "I'm sure you were. You have been sleeping for nearly a full day."

" What?"

He nodded and brought his seat over closer but not so near that Nyota felt he was being too familiar. " Yes. From what my _mke_ (wife-Swahili) tells me, you two had quite the run in. It is also one of the reasons that I am here. The other is to tend to your wounds and care."

"What's this reason exactly?" She pondered aloud. His accent was a bit thick and favored the Kiswahili that Esha spoke but he was definitely the clearer of the two. He too was probably from Kikuyu in the west.

She leaned over to Spock and brought his head onto her lap. As gently as she could she brought the cup to his lips and carefully let the liquid slip between his cracked lips. Some of it spilled out before he swallowed but most of what had gotten into his mouth went down reflexively.

Nyota looked up to see the middle aged man staring at them in dismay. When he met her eye, he made a smile that did not meet his eyes.

"You know... I was around your age when I first melded with T'Kaas. She was always so serious around us shamans of Kikuyu that I hardly thought she had feelings let alone a sense of humor. Have you seeen the fashion of the Kikuyu, young lady?"

Nyota nodded slowly curious as to where this story was headed.

He grinned broadly then and leaned forward with his hands on his caftan covered knees. "Well, as a descendent of the original shamans to treat with the Vulcans, I was held in high regard and made to feel larger than life. Everything from the food I ate to the clothes I wore distinguished me as a man of great spirituality. One article of clothing in particular that set me apart was my hat. Oh, it was a grand thing! It had the black crown quills of the secretary bird, the pelt of a jackal and the mane of a lion! When I walked around with that accessory on I would preen as if I were King of Kenya!"

Nyota couldn't help but giggle at the thought of what the crazy hat looked like and Ikeno grew more animated in his tale. " I loved that hat... that is until that fateful day of melding with T'Kaas."

Nyota's brows rose in curiosity. "Shamans meld with the Vulcans? Why? Do all shamans do that?"

The medicine man pulled at the short beard around his chin thoughtfully. "Not all. Only a select few are given permission to share their minds with the Vulcan healers and exchange ideas and voice opinions. Back during the time when neither people knew the other's language, this is how we communicated, you see? The Vulcans are people of science, studious watchers of the world but they greatly respect spiritual matters. There are after all a people that touch their minds and souls quite easily."

Nyota made a sound of understanding and Ikeno rubbed his closely shaved hair forward along his scalp like a bathing cat. "So yes from those times on that is how use religious leaders met and communed with each other. After my father stepped down I was next in line as speaker for my people. I traveled from my village alone in all of my finery alone. I did not have an apprentice as I was not married yet nor had I seen any other children that had been touched. So off I went and arrived here after seven days time."

He laughed then and scratched his eyebrow as he thought of what came next. "I tried very hard to not be taken aback by the village here as I had been as a child but the Vulcans have such an odd way about them. Eating no meat for fear of feeling the emotions of the animal as it died, so many heating systems because they were cold and all of them milling about with faces that were still like masks! What a crazy thing! Hmm I thought the same of T'Kaas as I met her here at that very door over there. She had the looks like those who hail in the northern lands. Golden olive skin, thick black hair and gorgeous brown eyes, she could easily pass for one if it weren't for those ears and eyebrows! It was a strange thought to think that she had met with my grandfather during his youth and time as our shaman because she looked still so young!"

Nyota leaned forward and ran her hand over Spock's face. "My goodness how old is she?"

"In all my twenty odd summers of knowing her, I have never once asked her true age but these people have slow blood in them when it comes to aging. Ah, but this old man digresses, we were talking about my hat, eh?"

"Yes."

"Hmm yes, the hat to make the king look like a fool. Well soon after arriving T'Kaas pressed for a meld and I was ready to obliged despite my fatigue. Oh Nyota what I found there! I was shocked by the depth of her! Her face was the placid surface to a deep, bottomless lake. She felt emotions and inside her mind they swam about me like fish. She was...happy to see me, to share our minds. She also felt shy because she thought I was quite handsome and felt smug when she realized I felt the same way. But the thing that shocked me the most was her mirth. She was tickled by the ridiculousness of my hat."

" That seems rude…" Nyota commented and he shook his head.

"No no but I can see how you think that. It's a part of our culture, how dare she judge that but she used it as an icebreaker. She ribbed me about that my 'ugly head gear' and how it looked like ' a big cat, bird and wild dog were fighting for supremacy on my head.' I couldn't hear it, but I could feel her laughter as she pulled me closer. I never knew a Vulcan could feel emotion like that, but that my hat was so heinous that a Vulcan would laugh about it should tell you something."

He chuckled and picked at the seam of his clothing. "As soon as we were done melding I immediately gave her the hat in front of the rest of the group as a token of our gratitude. She still has that thing til this day."

He retrieved the other empty mug and replaced the cups at the table. "The reason I say all this is because there are times that the Vulcans are not all that forthcoming with information that they have."

"Every Vulcan I met up until then would always compliment me on my attire especially my hat but T'Kaas put on no airs with telling me what she thought of it in the privacy of her mind. Since coming to reside here as a resident shaman I have seen through the eyes of an outsider that the clans of old and the castes of new are waging a war among themselves for superiority. Their faces and words say one thing when their minds say another thing altogether. It is a principle that they do not lie but unless one has the right questions to ask the truth can be hidden away."

He paused and pointed to her mate resting in her lap sternly. "Spock is a young and promising lordling among his people with a bright, new wife now at his side. It's enough to make one greedy like a jackal in hoping to take his place."

Nyota hugged Spock to her chest and looked at Ikeno gravely. "What are you saying?"

He took on a serious expression then and wagged his finger at her. "Someone compliments you on your new hat Nyota but all the while the wish to take it and the head that wears it. What happened to you two was no coincidence. It was planned with a purpose. How else would the Maasai and Bantu warriors of Namanga find you? How could they possibly happen upon the area so far from their home but so near to where you two would have been traveling on the mara? It was clever too. Had you planned on going home yesterday morning no one would have been the wiser when they ambushed you and they could have succeeded."

Nyota looking down at her husband's face as he wheezed rhythmically below her. "Someone wants to take Spock's place?"

Ikeno nodded and went to wet a cloth for Spock's brow. "Or just wants both of you gone. I don't know for sure but what I do know is that these people have been recorded in our oral traditions as fighting for years for who should be in charge of who."

He raised his large hand and started to count on his fingers. "The smartest? The bravest? The meekest? The most diplomatic? Who would make the best leader they quarreled. In the end they settled on the traditional ways of the elders and ruling clans. Spock just happens to hail from one, if not the highest, families. He has chief's and priestly blood in him according to T'Kaas."

Nyota took the cloth Ikeno then handed her and dabbed Spock's burning face. Someone had planned to hurt them? Have her kidnapped and Spock mortally wounded. Everything did fit with Asa trying to make away with her despite her fight. And there was the statement that a mgeni had tipped him off. Who was this 'mgeni' that had tipped him off and what had they told him?

Suspicion ate at her like a wild dog at a bone as she reviewed the people who could have possibly plotted such a trap. She did not want to cast doubt on her new friends, but she had to make sure none of them were putting her or Spock in danger. She automatically marked off those new sisters that were the closest to her. Their mates had been with Spock that evening and could not have gone out to tip the Maasai off to their whereabouts. They also stood with nothing to gain from his death as they had already told her that their husbands' caste were stationary and not as high as Spock's.

That still left a whole host of Vulcans to sort out, but one in particular stood out from the rest.

Stonn. He had been watching her and Spock since the day they arrived. Maybe he had plotted to have her stolen away from Spock right in front of his face before the Maasai killed him?

She mentally put a marker on the tall, blue eyed Vulcan but she did not know who else, if anyone, was involved or loyal to his cause should he actually be the perpetrator.

Ikeno hummed and nodded as he watched her face. "Yes you have someone in mind. Hmm, you can talk to your marriage father and mother about it, as well as T'Kaas and myself, but use discernment when you share any of this with others. Yesterday was very bad but worse could still happen. I came to you now alone because I did not want others to overhear my suspicions. I do not believe they will act again so soon with you as defensive as you are, but be cautious of the Vulcans you don't know and even more of the ones you think you do."

Nyota slowly exhaled and fluffed the fringe of Spock's hair. "Yes thank you for telling me. I believe what you say is true which is what worries me the most. I will discuss this with my mama Amanda and possibly even Sarek. Honestly I do not know how my father in law would react to the news or what he would try to do about it."

Ikeno pursed his lips and hummed with agreement. "Yes, Sarek is a hard Vulcan to read, indeed. Amanda, however is loyal and clever. She has had to be to survive here. She has the braveheart of a Maasai and a unique outlook as an American. Besides your husband, I should think that she would be your closest ally. But first you must weather your husband out of the firestorm of his lust. It is not for me to instruct you how, simply not my place at all, young sister. But, know that whenever you need guidance on any other nature our family is here for you, Lady S'chn T'gai."

Nyota smiled at him for the first time and thanked him. It was so much to take in and she had only been awake for a few minutes. She glanced back down and looked back at Ikeno with a question. " Uncle, please teach me how to tend to all of Spock's medical needs. As his wife I want to see to him."

Ikeno grinned again and did just that. After the first hour, Nyota had fed Spock vegetable broth, rewrapped his bandages, fed him more water, and helped change the sheets and straw beneath his body. She was winded by the end of it and barely had enough energy to bathe and eat herself.

As she ladled soup into her mouth Ikeno switched places with his wife and the Vulcaness instructed Nyota on the uses of the medicines she spoke of for aiding in weathering his pon farr. She held up one elixir in warning as she then handed it to Nyota. "This will aid in reducing the pain of his bites and his breaking your barrier, but only sip a bit. It can cause drowsiness and Spock might become dismayed if you were unresponsive."

"Yes, priestess."

"For the most of his plak-tow Spock will be under the thrall of mania but he will have times of lucid comprehension. Should he wake from his madness and question you, please tell him of his plak-tow. Encourage him to mate with you again if he seems dazed. He still may be in danger of his fever returning. If he seems completely disabled by his fever try, to distract him with marks of ownership."

"Such as?"

"Scratches, bites, kisses, your scent, anything to make him feel wanted by you. Inspire him to mark you back. Vulcan females of old would not to mate with weak, meek males so instinctually our males demonstrate their strength and claim in the ways I named. It shows their chosen mate their vigor, good health and desire for commitment. As illogical as it is, we are a jealous people. Show your mate that you want no other than him."

"I don't want anyone else." Nyota said, self assured.

The Vulcan healer lowered her hands and gave Nyota a steady look. "You have done an admirable job of caring for your mate." She said gesturing towards where his bandaged form was resting against her. "He chose wisely."

Once Nyota had a firm handle on all of the care, T'Kaas ordered her to sleep away from Spock to coax him into waking. If he smelled her nearby but not right next to him he might stir to join her resting place.

And she did. Two days passed and Nyota slept very little as she poured herself into caring for Spock. She went beyond his basic needs. Everything from his bathing to his meals she saw to and guarded her groom like a mother elephant. Her presence spoke for her as the Vulcans who volunteered to help and service the temple did not dither under her watchful eye.

After a few hours she began to sing and talk to him. Nyota performed this task as often as she could and made sure to touch him as she did so. He was in there, healing and knitting himself back together but his fever still sang through his blood.

Despite the emotional discomfort of touching his hot skin she thought that they both felt more peaceful when she did so. Hour after hour spoke him and day after day she sang to him as she fell asleep on the thick sheepskin.

Visitors came and went in a blur of well wishing and food. Nyota sat graciously next to Spock as she greeted all of them, nonchalantly putting herself between the guests and her Spock. Mentally she gauged them, noting their eyes and posture. Stonn and his mate wished to pay a visit but Nyota politely and firmly declined to met them. Even with the others, Nyota would kindly ask them to leave after a while. She could sometimes sense Spock's agitation at having a male present and she near to her. He would jerk and tic as if he were trying to force himself to stake his claim over her and the room.

Ulihar, Sarek, and the other Vulcans she had chosen mentally to be safe were the only ones he tolerated hanging about and would rest easier than he did with those she wasn't familiar with. After a few guests, Nyota realized that some of her fear and caution had probably leaked over to Spock through the bond. She did not feel entirely safe and as a result he was trying to move to protect her.

As evening fell on the second day, Nyota excused them and asked to see no one else for the evening. She glanced down at Spock and saw his brows tightly folded towards each other. Whether he was sad or angry was hard to tell but he was clearly upset.

She retrieved the cloth she used to cool his face and leaned down for a kiss. "It's okay. I will protect us both. Just rest and come back to me strong."

She murmured softly into his ear as she held a cloth to his brow. "I want you here with me and I need you strong. I want you. Rest well and come back to me."

He remained quiet, his breathing still even but his eyes danced beneath his lids. He was the calmest when she spoke to him like that. If she left, it was just as T'Kaas said and he would try and force his body to follow her. She hated to torture them both and sleep away from his side but she needed him back by her side and he needed her under his weight.

A/N:What do you think is going to happen? Do you think Nyota is right in her suspicion? Has your opinion on Sarek changed? What would you like to see in the next chapter?


	17. Chapter 17: Shadow Dance

**A/N:** Hello all! In the past two chapters I've hit you with a lot angst lately. I have here two point of views from Nyota and Spock. Nyota has a lighter more romantic version whereas Spock under the throes of Plak-tow has a darker more angsty take on their time. Either way you will arrive in the same place by the next chapter but what you read is up to you, :).

I've very much enjoyed your suspicions as to who the culprit is and eventually posting more about that plotline. I want you all to know that your comments as to what you'd like to see are being taken into consideration as well. If it can flow into the story I already have outlined then I will make sure to incorporate it as well. A number of folks also noting about how or why Spock's fight with Asa didn't cure his plak-tow. I have an explanation for it if you're curious ( it's effin' long though lol) down below.

A huge, meaty thank you to my betas as always. #winning. Ok, biting the bullet here. Here we go.

 **NYOTA'S PON FARR POV ( LIGHTER)**

A rustling of fabric followed by a heavy thunk against the wall woke Nyota with a start. Sitting up on her elbows she surveyed the door and the rest of the interior. Spock!

She searched for him in the darkness and didn't see him until he leaned heavily on the side of the bed. He still seemed ill though on the mend from his physical wounds. His head bobbed around on his neck as he panted and looked slowly around the room.

" Spock."

He chuffed and his head jerked in her direction. His battered face focused on hers using the one eye that wasn't swollen shut and lurched towards her.

" Oh Spock…come here," she crooned, extending her hand and beckoning him to join her on the floor. He came readily but in fits and starts. His limbs once easy and liquid in their movement now moved as stiffly as an unoiled hinged. As he labored to breathe, a light froth bubbled out from his mouth and down his split lip. Between his bruises and his bandages the Vulcan looked downright frightful in appearance, but she needed him as much as he needed her. She loved him. Before he reached her Nyota moved and put the bottle of Vulcan Pre shade to her lips. She wanted to numb her body a bit and made to take a small sip but Spock's arm jerk and knocked it back as she swallowed. What was suppose to be a sip became a small mouthful as the rest of it spilled over her mouth and neck.

" Mafi…!" She cursed as she tired to wipe the concoction off of her body. She was only suppose to have a sip, had she had too much? Her worry was interrupted as Spock's body settled near her.

She had slept bare as instructed and when he drew back the sheet in a ear splitting tear he groaned fell to his hands and knees. His mouth mumbled unintelligibly as he nuzzled the bulb of his nose against the skin around her navel.

Her abdomen jumped at the touch and Spock seized her waist to hold her still. His head dipped lower, dragging his nose and across the short, black mass of curls between her legs and buried his face into it. She gasped as he sniffed loudly at her mons and gave a dry, scratchy lick of his tongue across it.

She watched as his eyes fell close and he went in for more than just a taste. Nyota jerked as his mouth closed over her and curled the pale, green tongue inside her. Her breath faltered as he hummed and applied suction. Her hands clawed at the rug as she pitched her hips to usher his thick, tongue deeper. After a mind numbing moment Spock released her and snaked his tongue across his lips. His chest shook and rattled as he leaned up against her, rubbing his jaw at her torso with an urgency that infected and moved her with each touch.

He was scent marking her like a cat, she thought as he went about sniffing and rubbing against every bit of hair about her. The stubble of his jaw left goosebumps in its wake with every brush of his face. Soon after his caress, she found herself trembling with a need she was beginning to recognize.

His words were still a muddle of noises as he rose above her and settled between her legs. What she did hear him say was strange and unusual. He was fire born of the earth and she was here to worship him. As he pawed at her waist his words became more unintelligible but she felt any lingering fear melt at his heat and his warm skin kindle her lust.

Spock lowered himself over her and onto his forearms. Being crowded, Nyota followed him down with her arms pressed firmly along his. His hot breath bellowed in ragged and rank waves across her face that scorched her cheeks and made her eyes water.

She turned away but his face chased hers and latched roughly onto her lips. He was burning up with fever and as he deepened the kiss Nyota felt his tongue blaze across hers like molten metal. The taste was bitter and metallic as his split lip broke open once again and the blood that blossomed there was shared between them in the kiss. Nyota gagged on what little moisture there is to his mouth as the emerald drops slid down her throat and stained her tongue.

His fingers laced with hers and then held her down with a disorienting rush of a feeling she couldn't readily describe.

It was similar to the urge she felt to let him touch her, to have his hands dance across her and in between her feeling, his feeling, wasn't the simple simmering of warmth hers was. It was thick and viscous, cloying her thoughts like a heated sap that burnt through her like a lit tinder. Her body writhed beneath him trapping his erection between their stomachs as she arched up against his body.

Nyota broke the kiss and choked at the air as her sex throbbed and clenched at the vacant space inside her. Her body trembled as nervous energy vibrated through her limbs. Earlier Nyota felt anxious and excited, but mostly worried as she took in his condition and remembered the promise of pain every harvested maiden before her had warned her about. But now the small concern was replaced with a ravenous hunger. She starved herself of this affection, denied herself for so long. No more waiting. Tonight she would become a known woman.

Nyota met his good eye and wrapped her legs loosely around his waist. He shuddered at the touch and blinked at her slowly as he adjusted his body to meet her pelvis.

She licked at her lips as Spock shifted higher and felt his lok rubbing up along the shallow dip of her stomach. It left a wet trail in its wake as the head drew over her skin and Nyota shivered briefly as it cooled. His hands abandoned hers as Spock grabbed at her hips and held her in place. There was a light brush followed by a shaky nudge as Spock fought his fevered joints to align himself between the small petaled lips of her entrance.

She swallowed roughly at the air as he lurched forward bearing down on what little of him he had managed to push inside. Her eyes began to tear at the motion. Was this going to work? He felt far too large! He growled low in frustration as he persisted to push forward but was met with resistance.

" Spock…!"

As he struggled Amanda's advice to relax her body surfaced between her thoughts and she immediately worked to do so. With a deep breath, she let the tension leave her shoulders and opened her mouth to relieve the ache that was already in her jaw. Next she unclenched her fingers and smoothed her hands over his arms to settle the feeling over him as well. Lastly, and the most difficult, was the relaxation of her muscles surrounding the head of his lok.

" It's okay...it's just the seal. Be gentle," she whimpered to him, speaking more to herself as she tried to quell her anxiety.

Her channel was tense and locked in a death grip around him as he continued to press against the seal that she was told was inside her. She took a few more breaths and gradually felt her hollow unclamp. Unfortunately, it was just as Spock snapped his hips forward with hard, bucking jerk.

A white, hot burning ripped through her as Spock's lok tore her hymen and tunneled forward unhindered like a fiery, iron spear. Her eyes shut tightly as her mouth fell open with a wailing scream.

"Liars!" she thought as he withdrew and pushed forward again, "they lied to me." The pain of the first thrust was not the sharp needle prick she had imagined, but a searing burn that radiated throughout her. Her body tensed once more as she cursed and clawed at his arms. It felt like he was all the way up at her stomach.

" It is this…" she keened, mumbling Maa phrases between her lilting moan.

Spock snarled triumphantly above her, pushing his hips against her until Nyota felt the first hot stream of his passion sear her insides. She wriggled and twisted beneath him as the scalding jets continued to flood her. Oddly the heat felt soothing, washing at the burning stretch and tear left by Spock's lok.

As he panted above her, Nyota blinked against the pale darkness of the room. The whole thing wasn't as bad as she thought it would be but neither was it as good. The tearing of her barrier left her sex feeling sore. Her body felt like it was still yearning for more but he had finished. She thought that his lok would have been able to pleasure her better than his fingers had or even more than her own hand. As he hovered above her, Nyota struggled to move into a different position the others had mentioned might please her but something was wrong. Spock's vision is unfocused and he was listing above her like he was going to fall.

" Ny...Nyo…" he slurred, looking more green than she's ever seen him as his cheeks blush the same shade as the Mara during monsoon season.

" Spock?"

He moaned like a bitten cow and swayed above her. He was still sick, he still needed more but he was unable to speak.

" Spock!"

The frothing at his mouth returned and he gagged at the bubbling foam. In desperation Nyota helped his flailing hand to her face and she was immediately sent out of her body into his.

Nyota was sinking into herself, drifting down deep into her subconscious after being dragged haphazardly by Spock in his attempt to meld. She made a conscious effort to open her eyes only to find that it seems that they already were. Hot, blackness surrounded her. She could feel them blink and tear as she struggled to regain her sight but none of her efforts were working.

The sinking feeling was slowing down and Nyota felt her body move as if in water. She looked around again and saw her arms and legs as clearly as if they were in the sunlight. In fact they looked unnaturally yellow against the black, almost like they were glowing. She moved her hands in for a closer inspection when she noticed she had not felt her arms move.

Looking around a second time, the inky void seem more like sea devoid of sunlight, her sluggish movement coupled with the buoyant, drifting feeling assured Nyota that she was dreaming.

Her mind felt tethered to her body but distant like she was suspended above her flesh by whatever thin nerves controlled it. She called out to Spock but her voice was distorted and muffled.

She looked out beyond her hands and saw a bright, red spot directly below her. Maybe that light will help my mind reconnect to my body, she thought as she swam down further into the mire in search of answers.

What Nyota found there only left her with more questions. As she drew closer it turned out that the light was not a portal or starry image but Spock. He was dyed deep red and glowed hot like a coal ember after a fire had been stoked. His body was balled together tightly with his knees tucked under his chin and his folded legs held in place against his chest by his arms. Even in this fetal position but his body seemed to tremble and jerk uncontrollably. This is his fever, she thought looking over the poor spirit of her husband. He was burning away like a wick, but she had no idea as to how to snuff out the fire eating away at him.

" Spock! Spock I'm here now! Spock wake up!" she shouted, swimming furiously in his direction.

As she drew near, she noticed a cloud of blue snaking lights swirling around his frame. When they came close to his skin, they burned the flesh there and made him glow brighter. The blue wisps also appeared to hurt him as he jerked away in pain any time they circled near.

Immediately she dove for the closest snake-like apparition and hissed in pain as it reeled back in her hand and bit her wrist. Whipping its body like a cord, the electric synaptic eel wrapped itself around her forearm and tore at her skin.

As if triggered by the scent of her blood in the air, the rest of the vipers left Spock and set their sights on the newcomer. She shouted and struck the one eel in her hand hard against her knee. As it collided with her leg, it broke and dissolved in a mist of bright blue in the darkness. Encouraged by the one vanquished foe, Nyota grappled for the others putting an end to them as quickly as she could.

The last wraith glittered down into the darkness leaving her alone with Spock. He was still huddled into a tight ball, but was no longer spasming from the eel's venom. She pushed over to her husband and cupped his face. When he looked up she bit her lip to stop from screaming. Instead of the handsome male she had grown to know and love, Spock had been replaced with the horrid image of a mgeni she had conjured up over the years. His eyes were like a snake's, his hair like a lion's, his mouth was like a wolf's and his body was a ghastly mix of the three.

He blinked up at her and hide his face with his clawed paw like hands. / Is this...who am I? Is this Spock?/

Guilt seized her as Spock stared at Spock trying fitfully to hide himself. The Vulcan had been trapped and encapsulated inside the body of her fearful past memories.

/ No Spock this is not you. You are not a beast you are a man and a Vulcan. A male that I love./

Spock tucked his bizarre looking tail between his legs and flattened his ears against his skull. / You love me? Do you speak truth?/

Taking a deep, bracing breath within her mind Nyota went forward and embraced the chimera like beast. Taking a hold of his muzzle she kissed him firmly on the snout. / What does that tell you? No matter what form you take Spock I know you because I know your heart. You might have loved me first but I very much love you now./

Hugging her close, Spock's monstrous form pushed himself against her stomach. Nyota didn't have to look down to know what was so close to her quim. He nuzzled his face against her breasts and chuffed low in his throat. / You know what I want from you. Love me as you may but know that you do not have to do this. I can stay within your mind, live there and we can love each other that way?/

She shook her head fiercely and crawled closer onto his lap. The imaginary mgeni beast gasped watched her rapt fascination as she slowly butted his member against her lips of her sex. / Spock, I want all of you not just the most comfortable. I saveed the whole of you because I want to grow old alongside you. Your mind is lovely but not a substitute for this…/

With a hiccuping gasp she pushed herself down and impaled herself onto the abhorrent mgeni's cock. She trilled and threw her head back and he rushed himself inside her. When she looked back at his face, instead of fur and a giant, toothy muzzle she found his actual Vulcan appearance.

Her acceptance had broken the enchantment and returned him to his former state. He held her by the back of her neck and kissed her thoroughly. Nyota moaned into his mouth and gasped as he broke the kiss and pushed deeper inside.

She opened her eyes to find his physical face panting above her as he recovered from his fever induced tremoring. Her eyes welled up with tears as she thought that she had almost lost him again. He was so strong and stoic, and yet beneath it he felt the same emotions as she did and was just as mortal. She stroked his cheeks and smiled as he looked down at her darkly from under his lashes.

His fingers flinched along her temple as his eyes searched her teary face. He blinked and mirrored the caress of her hands on his face with hers and aligned their hips together. Dissatisfied with his hands at her face, he grasped her hands again before sinking inside her once more. She pitched up and opened her mouth in a soundless gasp. The pre shade elixir was working now and dulled the painful stretch of her freshly opened channel. The numbness left her with only the pleasure from his fingers laced with hers and the intoxicating feeling of being full.

He was mouthing her as she adjusted to the feeling. His teeth nipped along her neck until he reached her breasts. From there, he used his lips and tongue to suckle at her breasts. Nyota inhaled sharply and clenched around his lok. The feeling of his hot tongue drawing her nipple into his mouth sent a shiver down her spine. The sucking motion could be felt all the way down in her sex where it pooled and reignited her need.

" Spock...you can move."

He blinked up from where he had been feasting at her breast and pulled back with a quick snap back inside. Nyota swallowed as the ribbing and ridges of his member caught and teased at the walls of her sex. She whimpered his name and closed her eyes, but that only increased the sensation. She clawed at his skin as Spock rocked her bottom against the rug with thrusts that only pitched her need higher.

It was such a strange thrill being claimed by him this way. It felt perverse but natural all the same as he sank himself inside her in an endless wave of thrusts. That pressure that she often times felt on the brink of her climax began to bud and bloom at the hungry ache in her quim. Every time his pelvis met hers, the dark thatch of hair above his cock tickled at the hard nub at her apex.

She savored it, willed it to last so she could follow him to completion but once again he shivered and tremored above her. Left once more in the dust, Nyota whimpered in frustration as he filled her with his seed once more. He had already emptied into her once before, when would she come?

She shifted and hissed as the hot, white thickness coated her thighs in a sticky mess. His member seemed to have no end to the scorching supply of liquid as it spurted out around his lok. Did all Vulcan males come as much as he did? Perhaps more she thought absently as she remembered that he was only half Vulcan.

Looking back at his panting face she worried her lip and pawed at his shoulders. " Spock, please…"

 _Take me to the end,_ she thought but was still embarrassed to say aloud. As intimate as they had been, she still felt shy voicing her needs and wants with him. Maybe when he wasn't ill and she didn't feel so overwhelmed by the newness of it all she could gain more courage.

Sensing her angry need, Spock pulled Nyota up by her waist onto his lap and ground against her from that angle. She gagged and bowed her head against his shoulder on the first stroke. He went deeper in this position and his lok buried itself seemingly into her gut.

 _Thump thump thump_...he lifted her up by her slight waist until the only the tip remained buried inside and hurriedly ushered himself back inside until the cheeks of her backside smacked loudly against him. Nyota's jaw went slack and her head lolled around her shoulders as the combination of the elixir's effects and his thick ribbed lok tunneling inside her turned and twisted her body.

" If anyone else comes between us...I shall end them like the others."

" Spock…"

" No one harms my wife," he snarled. " No one will lay a hand on you and live. No other males will dare come near what is mine."

" Yes…!"

" _T'du_ Nyota…" he growled against her throat as he nipped at her skin.

" Yes, yes, yours," she slurred drunkenly. Close, she was so close to completion! She held onto his shoulders and let her body relax into the rocking when he shouted and curled into her. At first she thought he had come again but at his pained expression she could tell something else was at work.

" Spock? What's the matter? Is it happening again? The vipers? Spock? Talk to me!"

He shook his head as his body ticked and tremored. He was blinking hard as if he could hear her but had no idea what her words meant. Huffing in frustration he jerked and motioned his hand again towards her face. Nyota leaned forward and met him halfway and was assaulted by a flash of confusing colors and noise. /Need...you, need.../

He wailed again and listed down onto his side. She moved and studied his face for signs of distress. This pon farr business was difficult as it was tiring. Already she could feel the pull for sleep tugging at her body to rest but there would be none of that while he was still ailing.

She racked her brain as she rubbed his arms for what to do. She grimaced as the hot cream of their lovemaking slipped out and down her leg. She would smell like semen for weeks, she thought gloomily. Smell...scent marking...claiming! T'Kaas had said that she could encourage him out of any stupors by laying her claim over him and challenging his dominance.

Putting a hand into his mussed hair she pushed her lips against his. She started gently and lightly, with only prolonged pecks at his fleshy lips, but when he remained still she grew bolder and opened her mouth to his. Tonguing about his mouth, Nyota hummed as his hand caught her arm and his mouth kissed her back. More, he needs more.

Taking a risk she put her nails to his chest and dug them into his skin. He lurched against her and moaned into her throat. He liked that. Slowly she drew her fingers down his chest and nibbled at his lip. The moaning morphed into a growl of warning as his hips jerked at the air. He very much liked that.

Growing even bolder, Nyota snagged his wrist after scratching his skin green. Lifting his forearm to her mouth she closed her eyes and bit down hard around it. A mark for a mark. Like a shaman possessed, Spock seized her wrists and reared up from the floor with a snarl.

He pulled her towards his face by pulling her arms away from her body. Shackled by his hands, Nyota shivered as he growled in her face. "You want this one?"

His face was a mask of unbidden lust as his eyes pierced her in place. When she didn't immediately answer, he leaned forward and nipped her bottom lip. Speaking against her mouth, he stared into her eyes heatedly. " You roused me. Do you want this one?"

She took a shuddering breath and nodded timidly. The sight of Spock so bold strangely thrilled her.

Sensing her acceptance he narrowed his eyes and hummed. " You shall have this one, my love."

Nyota yipped as he casually flipped her whole body onto the floor belly down and growled above her. He grabbed at her hips and pitched her rear up into the air towards him. Blushing fiercely as he licked and nipped her bottom, Nyota bit her lip nervously. " Spock, are you...you are going to take me as dog does? It is unseemly...unbecoming…"

She had just gained purchase with her knees and was about to follow with her hands but the Vulcan covered her small, brown body with his and plunged inside her. She hid her faces as she shrieked against the wooly pelt beneath them. Oh goodness the whole temple was going to hear them! If they didn't already know what they were doing, they would now.

Spock rose above her and took a hold of her hips. There would be no moving unless he allowed it; his large, blazing hands had locked her in place. Pleasure radiated off of him like the heat of his fevered skin as he knelt nestled inside her. Both of them groaned as he tested the depth with a circling roll of his pelvis. It felt impossibly deep, deeper than he had with all the rest of their positions, but as he beat against the plush fullness of her backside Nyota thought her eyes would cross.

Her clit throbbed and her channel heated as the friction between them grew. All the thick, whiteness that had spilled out of her earlier helped ease his passage. The excess trickled down her quaking thighs as she struggled to stay up and in place as he pummeled her.

As she rested between her forearms, Nyota was grateful that her unbraided hair hid her face. She had done little to it since she had arrived back other than wash and loosely braid it. The braid had long since unraveled and left her hair to become a tangled, unruly mess of curls. Her lips were worrying at a lock that had fallen across her face while one of his hand moved to caress the round fullness of her bottom. As domineering as he was Spock was still showing signs of tenderness.

She moaned while Spock whispered hoarsely above her like some love struck madman. As fiercely as he took her Spock peppered Nyota with sweet words and phrases that he would never normally speak aloud. How she was his priestess, his lady, the only one for him. All of this and more as he sought to own her with his lok. She swallowed a gasp as he stilled and held her hips tightly against his. " Do you feel that? Me inside of you? How does my lok feel? Do I still disgust you or set you aflame?"

" It, it...it feels," she shuttered, licking her lips and closing her eyes in shyness.

" It what, my love?" He asked, waiting patiently. Whether he said it or not Spock was looking for her verbal adoration as well as her physical acceptance. His mouth had done very little than growl out words of desire for her, groaning from the love of her and snarling as he claimed her. He wanted her mouth to issue out the similar proclamations.

" It feels..., you feel good. I like it...I want it." She whimpered quietly.

" You enjoy this one's touch?"

" Yes, your hands please me..."

" Do you crave me inside you?"

" Yes..." she hiccuped.

His hand shot out and pulled her up with a firm but gentle hold on her neck. Still wedged inside her Spock barred his arms across her. " I will satisfy your craving." He promised running his hands over her collarbone.

Slipping them down further Spock splayed his palm over her small belly. " I want _this_ full of my seed...I want you with child, Nyota. Our child…"

Nyota blushed and panted as one hand dipped lower and teased at the jewel of her quim. She was so flustered she didn't know what to say. His voice was imbued with emotion as he questioned and answered her. It was frightening given how rarely she had ever witnessed it.

Spock purred and butted his head across her. " May I do that? Fill you to the brim? Make your belly swell with our child?"

Even the way he touched her took on a different air. The feel of Spock's hot hands had turned from unrequited pining to lusty possession. His mouth left her skin wet and alive as he laved her like cat. And his lok, the beastly thing sought to ruin her for any other as it made her body thrum with need. Nyota wanted it all, all of him and his claim. In that moment she wanted nothing more than Spock's intimate attention and she had it tenfold. " Yes."

" Yes what?"

" You can fill me with both…" she confessed softly.

Feeling her desire, Spock moved his hands to cup her mons as he drove into her. The pressure increased the sensation of the push and pull of his lok inside her. Nyota whimpered and clawed at his thighs much to his delight. Licking and sucking at her neck Spock murmured against the tender skin there. "Your words soothe me."

" My words?" She asked shuddering against him.

" All that you've given me is a mark of your adoration. Now it's my turn to exalt you, my priestess. I cherish you above all Nyota."

" But Spock...I am not a priestess…"

He ignored her protests to reality in the delirium of his madness. His hands slid up her belly to cup at the bouncing swell of her breasts. " No, you are. And now I shall venerate you with this…"

He leaned her forward until her hands could touch the ground and took her in a jaw chattering pace. As sleepy as she was the rabid nature of his thrust awoke her body and had her trembling on the edge.

The wet slaps of her rear colliding with his abdomen echoed loudly across the room. Her voice however went far beyond the four walls as she keened in a lilting cry.

Closer and closer he drove her but she was tittering so fast and so quickly that she feared she would go mad. Her auntie had told her that cocks could do that, drive a woman to forget herself and her worries until its owner did something wrong. She didn't want to go crazy.

Spock growled at her withholding and pulled her flush against his chest as he growled into her ear. " _Fam puk-tor, Nyota. Katelau...farfau_ …"

His fingers went for her clit and with a pinch and a buzz she came with an imploding ripple. She bawled and sobbed as her body rebelled and shivered. She shook as if she were ill. The swelling tide of pleasure drowned everything in its path. Spock was still surging inside her like a crazed beast and the sparks she already felt renewed in another mind numbing wave.

" Ah Spock! Spock!" She screamed tearfully, as her quim locked around him. Hips bucked of their our accord as her body broke free from her control. Spock chuckled and ran his hands over her hair as her quim milked at his lok.

After a few moments that stretched on like eternity, Nyota's limbs stilled and grew heavy. Spock was still babbling and snarling nonsense when he growled and jerked violently against her.

She hung limply in his arms like a drunk just as the first blazing gush of his seed came rushing forward in a torrent. Nyota moaned weakly at his lok's pulsing inside her and sniffled. She had never felt so spent in her life. Even though the haze of pre shade she could feel the hot ache of his punishing touch inside her channel. She feared to think what it would have been like if she had not had the shade to aid her.

Trembling just as she had, Spock fell onto the pelt and took her with him. He had been careful to shield her during the drop and immediately went to holding her hips in place as he panted against her neck.

Her eyebrows went up in dismay as she caught her breath along with him. He couldn't possibly be ready to go again? Even as she thought it, the smooth knots along his cock grew soft and large. Gasping with a whimper Nyota wiggled her bottom as his length locked itself in place.

She moaned into the air as the big, squishy growth rubbed at the top of her sex. Spock pulled on his lok to withdraw only to fully excite the spot within her. It wasn't going to move but it was pushing against something inside her that was driving her mad. " Spock, Spock...Spock…" she hiccuped as she came against him again. It was too much too soon, she felt her mind threaten to leave her if she had another but he wasn't anywhere near done.

" I'm so full…" she sighed, pulling at his arm. She didn't finish the statement. Spock would probably draw the obvious conclusion as he was still wedged inside her but Nyota meant something more.

At every obstacle that sought to destroy them, whether physical, mental or emotional, she and Spock had made it out together. They had fought for each other and now they were finally able to rest in the comfort of one another. Finally she had want she always wanted with a man she never knew could exist. They were in love and with each other.

Even now Nyota's skin crawled as his hands ran over her. He was so pleased, with her, with them, with this moment. Spock bid her to rest and she brooked no argument there.

Nyota was wasted. Over the past few days since she had arrived she had only gotten a single night's worth of sleep and in that time she had gotten drunk, trekked out in the mara, fought Asa, cared for Spock and now let him have his way with her.

She had never recalled being so tired before or so sated. True her channel felt tender but for the pleasure she had received it was well worth it. Each time they coupled the pain of his trusts had lessened and lessened.

Resting on his arm as he rubbed at her belly, Nyota allowed herself to rest her eyes. Just a few minutes she said, but when she woke up it was noon and Spock was nowhere to be found.

 **SPOCK'S PON FARR POV ( DARKER)**

Though the fog of his mind he picked up a scent. He knew well but this time he registered it differently. It called to him, pulling at his mind from his slumber. Spock wanted to sleep. He wasn't sure why but he knew it was important. Spock sniffed again and held the whiff of air in his nose. _Her_. He _wanted_ her. He had to _have_ her.

Spock turned in his sleep and jerked against the straw filled pallet. Pain split across his chest in a stomach-churning knot. Hot and vivid, it clawed at his ribs like a living thing working to tear him apart. Spock shook with a tremor and buckled under the weight of it. Every moving part of him felt on fire, from his lungs to his veins. He was burning alive.

Even with the sharp, jagged edge of his fever and the throbbing undertones of aching muscles, Spock felt something more horrid was working its way through his system.

Anger, red hot and molten, coursed through him like blood. Out from his core and into his limbs it bubbled out and left his reasoning charred. Alongside it was pride, so vast and swollen that was too far gone to be labeled arrogance. He felt livid and glorious, like a fickle fire god. No one could match him, no one could best him and no one could deny him. He was divine in spite of his affliction. He was a son of fire and not to be tamed or crossed. To burn was to live.

The coupled emotions ensnared his comprehension of reason as they pulled roughly at his memory. Sorting out his body and his thoughts felt more like an impossibility than an involuntary task.

Rubbing at his face, Spock hissed as his palm ran over the swollen flesh of his left eye. Sticky and wet with mucus, his lids were half shut over the orb. His mind search for answers. He was in pain beyond the burning, but how and why?

Spock slowed his breathing and snarled in frustration as he tried fitfully to recall his last actions.

Nyota. His eyes fluttered closed and he moaned as the fire burning at his core flared. Her. She was his everything. The high priestess to his divinity and the only one able to fulfil his needs. His mouth parted with a slow breath and took a raspy breath at the air.

Here, she was here and wanting. He could smell her skin like rain in the air: wet, fresh and sating his thirst.

Spock moved toward the scent tickling at his nose and crashed into the wall as his arm folded beneath his weight. His face pursed with a scowl as he remembered his body was maimed. A wild eyed face of anger flashed in his mind and he stilled at the vision.

That male in his memory had hurt _her_! His Nyota had called for his aid. She had been frightened and tried to return to him but the male had prevented her escape. Rage choked him as the thought of that larrikin placing a glance on his mate, let alone his hands on her in violence. Blinding what little logic he had left, fury swept through him like a rolling fog and dulled his senses.

His newfound wrath latched onto a borderline megalomaniacal need for supremacy. He was Vulcan and second to none. He was fire made manifest and sent to cow all others into submission.

He heard his name, sweet and lovely sailing through the air and it caressed his ears. _Her_. His Nyota was calling him again.

With jerky, disjointed movements, Spock sat up from where he leaned against the bed and surveyed the dark bedroom. Flashes of his vanquished foe and Nyota's terrified face assaulted him as he tried to gain his bearings. Frustrated at his inability to focus Spock used his nose and ears to hone in on his mate, creeping slowly across the floor as his legs protested the movement.

His lip curled back with a low, inhuman snarl the more sleep cleared his mind. He couldn't shake the visions and he was distracted from his course of action. The memory of Nyota's voice screaming in his ears and the cool burn of the spear tip burrowed in his chest made his body shudder painfully. _Plak-tow_ he finally concluded. It was upon him and plaguing him with heat and hallucinations. If he could just reach his mate she would cure him.

He stopped, sniffed and sighed in relief. Blinking rapidly Spock saw her small, dark body below him wrapped in cloth sheets. She had just imbibed something and some of its contents had spilled onto her chest. She had been wiping at it when she looked up and greeted his face with a coquettish smile. Her hand was held out to him and he went to her like a crocodile to the Nile, ripping at the sheets and meeting her soft skin with his face.

He groaned and fisted the torn fabric as her scent filled his nostrils and dulled the ache in his head. _Her_. She was here and she was waiting to heal his burning. His Nyota would quench his thirst and tamp out the pain. She was the only one able to control him or his fire. Now with her free from the cloth, his vestal virgin could harness the burning and bring him to his knees.

As he clamped his hands around her waist and dragged his face across the silky coolness of her belly Spock was relieved to finally have her. Nyota would break his fever taking his heat inside her, but first he had to make her pay homage bodily.

Bending down to the wiry, curls of her sex he breathed deep and sighed against it with a huff. The earthy, mellow scent made his parched mouth water. His tongue snaked out and swiped across it with a hum. The slick cream coated his tongue like honey and hit his libido like a drug. He drew his tongue flatly across it again and allowed his teeth to nip her. _His_.

Spock's lungs rattled against his chest as he marked her skin further. Rubbing the glands down along the underside of his jaw the Vulcan curled his head back and forth along her pelvis until he could only smell himself. _Mine_.

He marked himself in kind, smoothing his face around the depression where her arms met her torso and the dark field down at her pelvis until his face was wet and fragrant. _Yours_.

Hovering above her Spock looked down to see the beauty which was his bride. Pushing them down he lowered Nyota to the floor and sighed breathlessly. She turned away and his pride was pricked at the motion. He pushed his mouth against hers, splitting his lip in the process as he sought to claim it.

His hands seized hers and he unleashed the fever burning at his body from his fingertips. She moaned and arched against him. The time to claim her was at hand.

Spock slid lower and aligned their hips, using his body to spread her legs wider. Shifting his hips he angled his lok down and bumped at the small indentation at the heart of her sex. His mouth fell open with a feral groan at the warm, wet kiss her sex gave the head of his lok as it parted at his prodding. Could something possibly feel as good as she did now? If he didn't die of his need, he would surely perish from the feel of just Nyota alone.

Even in the delirium of his lust, Spock felt Nyota's muscles tighten in alarm as the wide head of his lok stretched her in a painful sting. He pushed steadily forward with her pinned down at the waist as she squirmed to rid herself of the burning.

" Spock…" she sobbed, clawing at his arms as he continued to dig deeper inside, growling as he felt something hinder his progress. He gave his hips a quick snap but his progress was still heeded. Nyota was saying something, maybe something to explain the issue of his inability to press forward but his mind was having a hard time focusing. They both were in pain and he was trying to fix it, but something within her barred his entrance.

Lowering himself on top of her, Spock braced his arms on either side of her head and used his legs to tip her hips up. In this manner he drove his hips forward and felt a popping snap as her body gave way to his.

Spock groaned as her sheath engulfed him but there was another sound in his ear. He shook his head and focused. It was earsplitting and shrill as he listened he realized Nyota had been keening beneath him. The motion...it...he...had hurt her.

He grunted as he felt the pain radiating off her skin and into his body, diminishing the pleasure he now felt finally from being inside. Spock withdrew, but her heels dug in the small of his back pushing him back forward. He held still for a bit and mouthed at her neck, feeling her body soften at the break in movement and his attentions.

Laving her neck with his tongue she shivered and spoke softly. " _Paee_ …"

He paused and regarded her, her words just beyond his reach but he can feel her need to have him say something back. He understood now that she had been speaking in something other than Vulcan. Her melodic sing song words had gone untranslated as his fevered mind refused to comprehend the phrases. She was clawing at his skin and hissing in pain because...she had never known this type of touch. He was her first.

" _T_ ' _reldai, du'esta wuh-rak_ …( My priestess, your first touch…)" he hummed, nuzzling briefly at her cheek while he rocked gently inside her. She held her eyes closed and kept her hands at his arms as she tried to mirror his movements.

The knots in his stomach loosened and his headache abated as he stroked himself towards the building pressure. As her soft body cooled his fever it also burned at his loins as the heavy organ below his shaft drew higher and began spewing the first of his seed. She was stiff beneath him, enduring his rutting until he stiffened above her.

He jerked and groaned in relief. The heat saturating his bones and burning his muscles left his body and poured into hers in a hot, pulsing gush. As his thick cream filled her, Nyota renewed her efforts to free herself, but she remained pinned under his weight.

Spock shook his head and closed his eyes. Everything from the colors to the shapes of his surroundings were blurring together into an unintelligible mess.

" Ny...Nyo…" he gagged as he took a shuddering breath. The pain was returning and stealing his mind once more. His climax had only given him temporary relief and not cured him of his biological heat.

Even now his body burned and the throbbing pain to his temples and gut returned with a vengeance. He faltered and swayed above her, catching himself on his forearms to keep from toppling on top of her. Tears welled up unbidden as both sets of eyelids tried in vain to blink them away. " Nyota!"

It hurt so much. His innards were burning him from the inside out until it felt like his very skin was on fire. His lok was also aflame and remained painfully stiff as if he hadn't just relieved himself.

A single thought was cobbled together in the mass of jumbled sensations that terrified him in their apparent validity. He had staved off his Pon Farr for too long and would die because of it.

"Sa...ad...qei.." he slurred through his numbing mouth. His lips felt loose and disconnected, moving at random as he fought to speak and save his life.

He had to tell her, get _her_ to save him but his mouth was too busy gasping for air to attempt to talk. With a hasty jerk, Spock struggled to align one shaky hand across Nyota's face to communicate his need with no success.

Growling with effort Spock struggled to make the aching joints of his fingers splay and bend around her psi points. After a few failed attempts he felt the brush of her mind and the tumultuous feelings surrounding it. Spock yanked at it violently and drew her inside his mind and then into blackness.

He was in an abyss, deep, dissolute, and devoid of light. He was dying, his fire had burned too sharply and now his ka'tra was sinking away.

/ _Help, priestess! Save me!_ /

Nyota. He tried to turn to her, open his eyes, but his body sparked with pain.

/ _Priestess? Spock? Tell me how! What's the matter?_ /

/ _Who...is Spock?_ /

/ _You!/_

/ _No...I am fire. I am burning too brightly! Worship and soothe this one. I am burning!_ /

He tremored above as his fever spiked. He was beyond words now as ideas, thought and emotion trickled down and out of his mind. Something was pulling at him, from inside and out but he had nothing left in him to define it. As he convulsed an image came into the void that was his mind.

It was...comforting and it was…, not an it but a she. Her strength assured him. She gave him words, context for who he was and who she was to him. She loved him, cared for his wellbeing and would save him from this bankruptcy of thought. Within himself he rolled to her, clinging to her as she pulled him out from the burning vacuousness.

Slowly, strenuously he opened his eyes and gasped for air. She was there, caressing his face from below as she smiled through her tears. Spock felt some of his mental faculties return with the welcome company of her mind through the meld. Nyota's thoughts came into sudden, jerky focus and he mentally squinted at the detail. There, he could read it now. She had been afraid of his seizures. The pain of his first thrust inside her left her feeling jagged and raw and lastly her worry pulled at him that sex might always be this way between them. He exhaled and took a shaky breath to steady himself. He still needed to soothe them both.

Spock cupped her face and pulled her towards him, trying to alleviate them both of the wanting left inside them. His limbs were reluctant to move as he forced fevered joints to move and positioned her again. Nestled once more between her legs Spock tangled his fingers with hers and sunk back into her cool sex.

Nyota arched up against him and hiccuped at the air as he held himself still. Her newly opened channel bunched around him like a fist but relaxed as she let herself melt against the floor. To speed her comfort, Spock mouthed at every bit of skin he could press his lips against. Precious, she was so precious and he was so grateful to have her. She saved him. Completed him. Sated him. Her whimpering soon turned from pitiful to needy as his tongue and teeth teased at her arousal.

"Spock...you can move."

Spock pulled back and pitched forward, his movements still shaky from his plak tow but eager as he felt his body begin to cool. Rocking into her Spock could feel Nyota warming to his thrusts.

Running her hands down his side and hooking one long leg up around his waist she let her head fall to the side with a sniffling moan. His body sought out the nature of her mewling and felt something down deep in her belly was winding itself tighter.

Spock hummed in recognition and pride as her body sank deeper into the pressure. He just needed to give her more and she would finally get some relief. He keep his thrusting at an even pace, now panting with the effort. Nyota closed her eyes tearfully and quested for the feeling. It was close now, she was close and he felt his base self wallow in it. He lurched towards it too but all too suddenly he was climaxing again and leaving her frustrated as he completed once more without her.

Nyota pulled at his shoulders and sniffled, her need rolling off her into his skin like a tingling numbness. "Spock. Please…"

He chuffed in understanding and after a few moments he was with her again, pushing in and grabbing her waist, trying furtively to make her peak as he had. His mate twisted and swooned below him but his body had gone rogue and his mind was a storm of confusion and slow to comprehend.

It was happening again, the loss of control and reason as his fever seared his spine and ate at his nerves. She had saved him but not all of his ailment had been treated. Something more needed to be done but he didn't know what.

He wailed incoherently as he curled up against her chest and sobbed. He was a wildfire out of control, consuming himself like a wick and starving of oxygen as his body gobbled it up before his brain could use it.

His head jerked at the sound of her voice pleading his name and he fought to listen to the rest of what she said but as soon as she uttered a word he lost its meaning.

In a last ditch effort he placed his hands back at her face and pulled her mind towards his as soon as the tips alighted.

Nyota's body went slack and he loosened his grip on the meld to give her back more mental capacity over herself. He summoned up the last of his sanity and pressed at her urgently.

/ Need you... need...you/

He felt her struggling to reach him to understand and he wailed again as his fever scoured across him. The coppery taste of his blood was the only liquid to his mouth as the heavy, swollen tongue flopped limply around his mouth. He rolled to his side and Nyota scurried out from beneath him.

His eyes closed and he relaxed against the cold, fuzzy touch of the sheepskin below. Her hand was at his brow, soothing his temple like fresh well water. If this touch was all he had to remember her by then it would be enough he thought dimly, bending back and forth between waking and dreaming. She was kissing him now, timid and gently but grew more bold with each passing second. His body responded, moving his mouth against hers and holding her arm to increase the depth.

She brought her hands to his chest and was digging her nails into his flesh and he groaned into her mouth as the pain she caused relieved the pain of him. He leaned into the bite of her fingers and relished the sting as she pulled her nails down to his navel. Yes...he thought this was a better memory, her marking him as her own and soothing his burn.

Encouraged by his responsiveness, she continued to run her hands across him, leaving welts and an odd sense of comfort in their wake. It was when she bit his wrist like he had so many years ago, that his body reanimated with renewed strength and vigor.

Spock caught her wrists and brought her down to the rug with a swift toss. She called his name but whether in inquiry or statement he did not know as he flipped her to her belly and lifted Nyota by her hipbone. She started to rise up to her hands and knees when he sank back into her in one punctuated thrust. Her words were drowned out in her shrill, needy cries as Spock beat against her plush backside with a force neither had imagined would feel so good. Nyota clawed at the wool under her fingers and sobbed as the pressure in her belly reconvened and tightened in her pelvis.

To Spock's surprise his fever abated and cleared his mind of the foggy dreamlike drunkenness. Not all the news was good however. As the fever dimmed, his earlier plak-tow mania reared up to usurp control of him again. He grimaced as he fought to still his face but he was fighting a losing battle. He cackled and growled above her as he drove his lok into her with relish. " _T'etum reldai. Du bohrau nash veh._ ( My beautiful priestess. Your worship cures me.)

Plak tow had thought him done but it hadn't taken his mate's dedication into account. As she moaned and twisted against his thrusts, he smoothed his hand over the sweaty ridge of her back. " _Ha, Nyota...ha_ , (Yes, Nyota, yes,) " he snarled, ignoring the ragged crackling of his voice as it broke on every other syllable.

Her sex was gripping him harder now and his instincts pulled at him to help her surmount the pressure. His hand shot out and latched onto the back of her neck, pulling her back and against his chest. " _T'goh...T'sai..._ (My only...my lady...)"

His head bowed down along the line of her neck suckled at the skin until he felt it swell with blood and moved onto to the next site. His hips are moving faster now and his hands fumbled at her waist as he tried to emulate memories not of his own and make Nyota spasm down around him.

Her voice was plaintive as she rode the rolling tide of his hips and his madness. She squirmed and whimpered at the inexperienced touch of his hands pawing at her neck and breasts. He hummed and nipped at her ear delirious with the feel of her. " _Taluhk nash veh k'dular_. ( I cherish you above all.)"

She trembled against him like a leaf but resisted the rabid pull of submitting to her climax. She was afraid of what it would do now that fingers were no longer involved. There was no telling what it would do to her but she continued to whimper pitifully with need.

At her mewling, his mouth made a noise he had never heard before as his fingers latched onto the nub at the crest of her folds and his lok took her with deep, jaw chattering thrusts..

" _Fam puk-tor, Nyota. Katelau...farfau_ …" ( Do not fight the feeling. Be fucked...come now…)

The tension at her clit folded in on itself and spiraled outwards as he pinched it in a move he had never performed but knew innately. Nyota lost herself and bawled loudly. Her hips worked themselves into a frenzy and rode his lok as if she knew how to please a man. His lips split into a distorted, slack jawed version of a smile.

The beautiful, climaxing female he had just opened only a few hours before was all his. He almost wished to do it all over again but from the strength of his erection he knew that he would take her for many more times to come. He would cease his attentions until she bid him to stop. If he kept it up maybe she wouldn't?

She cried into the air as her quim held Spock in a grip that went from pleasing to painful. Her wet face sobbed as her body shook and pulsed around him, milking at him until he too was pulled under.

Spock's head fell back with a hissing snarl. His arms crushed the limp, mewling body of his mate against him as his lok filled her once more. Deep, forceful gushes coursed through his shaft and out of the head into her waiting womb. Each surging pulse jerked his hips to push deeper as he held her quivering body.

The heat that had saturated Spock earlier again flooded out into his wife in a growing wave of relief. Nyota's arms hung loosely at her side as she panted in his embrace. His body tilted and wavered. He was still weak and healing and his exertion stole the strength from his limbs once more. Cradling Nyota tightly, he let himself fall down to the floor. His breath rustled her hair as his body continued to pour hotly into hers.

As his lok's streaming slowed to a leak, both of them gasped as the knots at its base started to balloon and swell. Nyota keened fitfully as another spasm savagely coursed through her. Spock felt it center at her channel and stretch out through her limbs as his lok sought to fill her to the brim.

Spock tried futilely to withdrew as the knots continued their growth but he found to his horror that he was locked in place.

" Spock," she trilled, clawing at his arms. " I'm so full."

He tried pulling out again but felt the combination of his knots and her clenching vaginal muscles working in concert to hold him firmly in place. Nyota moaned at the tug and Spock felt the hot wetness of her face run down and cool on his arm.

Spock took a deep breath and struggled to focus on the melded memories of males before him. What once was barred from his comprehension now lay clear before him. Males during plak tow have to knot to their mates to break the hold of their fever and help with insemination. After a few more minutes it would recede and return to its normal size.

" It will pass. Rest. Please," he implored.

Nyota did not reply but did as he bid. With a chest shuddering sigh, she laid her head to rest against his arm and slowed her breathing. Spock ran his hand over her cheek and closed his eyes. Never had he imagined that he could be so loved by anyone. She saw the darkness of his Vulcan soul and lust and tamed him back into submission. Not only that but he still felt her warmth and affection towards him radiating off of her skin. She was not repulsed or discouraged by who he was because she loved him.

He sighed as his mind, once a raging maelstrom of emotions, began to clear and resemble the quiet tide that he knew so well as his heart continued to thunder against his side. It was nearly done. His fever could be more readily managed with more copulation. His mania would no longer contort his face or his words as he could now take her gently as he always intended.

The Vulcan rubbed gently at his mate's belly and planted a kiss behind her ear. T'Kaas had told him that for Pon Farr, most of the first copulations did not result in children. The heat of the fever being hot enough to render his spent semen sterile and the female's body being too spent to conceive, the first union usually had both partners reeling and not from the thoughts of bearing children.

Maybe, he thought wearily splaying his hand across her small abdomen, just maybe his seed would take and her belly would swell and reward her for all her effort in ensuring his life.

"You saved me," he whispered softly against the nape of her neck. What she gave him he could never return and she weathered all of it in a way he could not. Truly she was precious and he would never be able to look at her again without feeling a kindred sense of gratitude. His little bird had flown across the sun and revived him like a phoenix.

"I cherish thee…" he murmured with another kiss of his lips and recoiled at the simmering burn of her skin.

Spock sighed as pain still radiated from her skin and shifted. To his surprise his lok slipped free with a pop as his medial ring pulled against her. A rush of fluid followed it out and down between their legs. As he gazed down at the thick wetness Spock felt his breath leave him. " No…"

There in the pearlescent liquid was a bright swatch of red, staining all the milky fluid around it pink.

"No," he repeated as he hobbled up to a sitting position and rolled Nyota over. She groaned but did not wake from her slumber.

What was this? Why was she bleeding? Did he hurt her in his lust? " Nyota! Please awaken. Tell me what is wrong."

He couldn't remember. There was a haziness upon waking but as his fever stole over him Spock's memory had faded to random scenes of him rutting against her. As he cupped her face he felt his eyes burn and close against the scene before him.

He was a monster worse than his father he thought rebukingly. He had waited but the outcome had remained the same with him hurting her. Vulcans were not meant to have human mates, they were far too savage at their base. " Nyota please, I am so sorry…" he crooned. " Please wake up. What did I do?"

She shifted in his arms but remained fast asleep. Using the shared memories of his kinsmen Spock reviewed their mating and could not find a time that any of the females had fallen asleep. There had been blood noted in most of them as well but there was no explanation as to why. He figured given their differences in size and strength that he had maimed her in during his mania.

He cradled her in his arms and held her close. He was a monster. He did not deserve her. Look what he had done. He could have killed her. Maybe he had already sealed that fate for his mate?

Spock sat like that on the floor with Nyota in his arms until T'Kaas happened upon them. As soon as she saw the open expression of grief on his face she hurried into the room. " What has happened? You are no longer mating? Your fever may be broken for a time but it along with your urge to mate will come back for many more hours to come. Why do you grieve?"

Spock held Nyota out to the healer like a boy whose thoughtlessness actions had harmed an animal. " I have hurt her. She will not wake. I did not mean to but I do not recall what happened."

" Let me see her brow." T'Kaas ordered with the same sense of importance as earlier. " Then allow me yours."

Spock complied and gently tilted Nyota's face to give the Vulcaness clear access to his mate's temples. Her small hands darted from her sleeves and went to their faces. She closed her eyes and exhaled glided their minds. Spock closed his as well as shame filled him at his inability to take care of his mate weighed on him like boulder.

" _Pi'pil'la_."

T'Kaas startled out of her meld and looked over at him in a rare expression of complete surprise. " What?"

" Serve our bond. I cannot be trusted to keep her safe from myself. Just look at what I have done!" He said hoarsely. He could not bare to look down at her again and see his sins.

" Spock you do not…"

" If you do not do it, I shall retain a healer who will." he growled. Gently he put Nyota down along rug and ran two fingers across her cheek. " I will never hurt her again and breaking our bond will ensure it."

T'Kaas exhaled sharply and tucked her hands back into her sleeves. " You illogical fool, do not try and reason with me so soon after the first bout of your fever. You lack sound judgement for anything."

" I made her bleed!" He pressed.

T'Kaas shook her head gently and blinked. " You caused that yes but it is…"

" She will not awake!" He snapped angrily, not waiting for excuses. He knew what he had done, he didn't need anyone explaining his away his crime.

T'Kaas took on her normal composure and tilted her head down to his mistress. " She is not unconscious because you harmed her. She took in too much _pre_ shade coupled with her exhaustion from the past few days…"

" I have carried on like this for days?!" Spock asked in horror. " I can not...I can not have her."

" _No, S'haile_ please be still and listen…" the healer implored but Spock snagged a robe lying across the nightstand and departed.

He raced out of the temple into the light of the early dawn. He stumbled many times on his way to his parent's home. Nyota's scent called to him and As the distance grew between them the bond link they shared made each step Spock took more difficult than the last. He wanted desperately to go back to her, to rest in bed and between her legs but he could face her after what he had done.

He ignored the many curious and disturbed glances the others cast his way as he fumbled away the pathway into the foyer of Sarek's household. He had just step foot inside when his mother walk out from their kitchen with tea. One look at his defeated expression told her all she needed to know then. " Go back. Now!"

" But mother, Nyota…"

" Spock I know your favorite pastime is arguing with me but so help me Yahweh if you do not march right back to that temple and rest!"

He shuddered and leaned heavily across the door frame. He couldn't tell her what he had done to Nyota, how he had perverted her with his body, taken so many liberties that she bleed from her legs and would not awaken.

His face must have conveyed his grief because Amanda stilled and placed her mug on the nearby table. " Spock, where's Nyota? Why didn't she come with you?"

Spock's face folded and he shook his head. " I must go lie down now. I shall be in the garden."

" But Spock you're still ill!" His mother shouted with her hand held out for emphasis. " You look like death warmed over and you clearly still under _plak-tow_. You've never once been so expressive or withheld from me! What the hell is going on?!"

" Amanda, let our _safu_ go into the garden. We will go to the temple to find our _kofu_ and find out the heart of the matter."

Spock half ran, half staggered over to his father with an inhuman snarl of warning. " _Nyota t'nash veh! Ri estuhl kosu!_ ( Nyota is mine! Thou shall not touch her!)"

Sarek narrowed his eyes but changed the course of their actions. " I would not think of doing such a thing, _safu. Ko-mehk_ will attend her, I mean only to escort them both."

Spock glared at his as his head and arms ticked in irritation. " Ha. (Yes)" he mumbled weakly. He felt dizzy with pain but the hurt in his side kept him on his feet. " Yes...I shall be in the garden."

" Very well, _safu_." Sarek nodded calmly. " We shall see you there in the garden."

 **A/N: Notes for Pon Farr vs Plak tow**

You asked first here though you weren't the last to question the blood fever and fighting breaking his plak-tow but I'll leave a short answer here to refer people to until I write a more detailed description on the notes of the next chapter.

SO after watching Time amok again along with the hilarious Voyager episode Blood fever with laughable Vorik and angry B'leanna ( I'm sorry as cool/hot as it was in theory this episode nearly had me crying with laughter) and the Enterprise episode with T'Pol and Tripp I concluded a few things.

Pon farr has stages. The first seems to be the irrational behavior ( plomeek soup tossing, destruction of property, space-road rage, Not giving one single fuck about anyone else and their shit because you could give a good got damn). The second seems to secure your mate or 'buddy', whether willing or not ( looking at you Vorik, snatching up people by the jaw only to get smacked the f down). Third is kinda meh because it depends on location of the Vulcan which is the urge to return to Vulcan and their land to procreate and rear a family. If you're already there then you're good if not as Spock demonstrated you were literally start to hijack a starship to get there.

The fourth is all coming to the healer which is what I had Spock do when he met with T'Kaas in the third chapter to ready his mind for all the glorious banging he and Ny would have. The last which he was about to get into BUT didn't fall under yet is the final stage of Plak-tow.

When T'Pring was like ' No Spock, I want my side-dude I've been effin' since you left me lonely.' and called a challenge Spock immediately went to kill Stonn's ass because he was already in Plak-tow. T'Pau called it so I'm following that. Pon farr fight no dice, Plak-tow fight there will be blood and a lot of therapy. I wrote in a bit of a delay or at least tried to illustrate that in my story. He was having a hard time trying to control his body because of delaying his plak-tow for Nyota so his plak-tow didn't just slip over him. I also was trying to convey that the injury to his body coupled with the prolonged pon farr had him slip into that ka'tra exchange coma.

Believe me Dimplz tried to tell me about the hang up in kal if fee and the plak tow thing earlier so I had to rewatch those episodes to make it work ( Is anyone else upset that Tuvok didn't get it on with Janeway but like also happy that he remained faithful to his wife T'Pel? Me, I'm someone that is)

SO my defensive lies solely in the fact that Spock had his fight with Asa not under plak-tow similar to Rovoc's smack down and when he wakes up he will then pick up where he left up with pon farr. Because he's weak and recovering from injuries he'll be in full ' Disrobe and present dat ass' plak-tow mode.

OMG that's so long :( LOL I'm so throw'ed with Star trek it's ridiculous. Ack ok I don't wanna do this lots of times so I'm going to refer people to this thread and also put it in my notes. Love you guys that's for keeping me on my toes to make sure I'm staying true to trek at heart. But I love star trek like Stephen Colbert loves The hobbit and all other Tolkien ( borderline insanity)


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: For my Tessie. A good friend that got me back writing without whose help I would not have produced this story for fear of inadequacy. As a reader and beta you reminded me that we all start somewhere and that if I wasn't at the top then I should keep on working to get and stay there.

Nyota stood in the foyer of what had become her home away from home. Gazing out onto the village, she let her eyes follow the retreating forms of Vulcans and humans alike as they went about their midday routine. She wished that she and Spock were among them, going out for a second day meal out on the square but they were here, separated in the same house.

She was drying her skin in the air by the window while T'Kaas and Amanda both had tea. While the healer's visit was due to her responsibilities, her mother in law's attendance was purely complimentary. Nyota was glad that her new mother seemed to be as taken with her as she was for the other. Nothing had been simple as of late and Amanda had been a solid foundation of support.

T'Kaas had equally taken care of her. After administering an antidote for the pre shade she carried Nyota to a side room to help bathe and dress her wounds. The ones from the mara looked worse than they felt as they road rash had scabbed over but the bite marks burned and her quim felt sore. The Vulcaness put a generous amount of ointment on everything to chase away infection and she pierced her skin with a tiny looking spear with a bottle attached to it. As it dug into her muscle and injected the liquid into its confines Nyota felt all her pain and tenderness melt away like clotted cream.

Rising up from the window she wrapped herself in a single scarf with the corners tied on opposite sides behind her neck. With a humorless smile Nyota joined the women at the long low legged table. Upon arrival here to Amanda's home her mother in law had prepared tea. Nyota peered down at murky, lukewarm brew, trying to summon up enough desire to drink it. She bit at the inside of her cheek and used the pain to deflect away from the other pain which resided in her chest. " Where is Spock now?"

Amanda's fingers absently tapped the table as she nodded towards the side. " Out in the garden. He refused his room."

It seemed Spock had taken his reaction to his blood fever harder than anyone could have expected and wished to break the bond between them under the ruse of protecting Nyota, even they she knew that the request was done out of shame and self-hatred. He had not known the extent to which he would be overcome by his emotions, and to have Nyota bear witness and be subjected to his lack of control had troubled him to no end.

Nyota sat somewhat in a daze as the Vulcaness spoke of things that her husband had yet to tell her. She cast her gaze down to the table between them and watched the steam rise from her teapot's spout. If she were honest with herself she knew why Spock was hiding himself away but it didn't lessen the sting of his departure.

She had fought for him, for them and Spock left her after he plucked her insides up like a ripe peach skin. She had wanted to wake up to him still fondly cuddling her not to her mother in law casting a worried glance in her direction while T'Kaas poked and prodded her skin.

Thank goodness for that bath she thought in disgust as she moved and smoothed her hands over her thighs. She had been such a sticky mess of sweat, semen and saliva when they found her that Nyota thought she'd never been clean again.

" He didn't not hurt me outside of his first thrust pass my maidenhead. But then I am not familiar with how it typically goes. He was definitely rough but not unjust or cruel," she said hiding her face as she felt it suddenly grow hot from their analytical gazes.

" I know." T'Kaas replied simply taking a sip of her tea with a blink of appreciation at its flavor. "But Spock however does not believe this to be true. He took your cries and blood as a mark of his unworthiness and not of your hymen being pierced."

Neither could truly hide their mind from the other during the meld. Seeing all her past emotions that Nyota had rallied through before coming to love him had probably been jarring for Spock. That coupled with his own rejection of who he was during pon farr only made his sense of value worse. He had felt her passion but it had not been enough to ignore his own self-loathing.

" I want to stay. I love him," she stated emphatically pressing her palms flat on the surface of the dining table. Amanda nodded and took Nyota's slender hand into her own. Her blush colored palm was incredibly soft compared to that of her own. Sarek must not allow her to do much women's work or maybe her chores were somehow different.

" I know, dear." Looking her mother in law in the eye, Nyota saw the belief and conviction there.

"Ours was not an easy home for Spock to be raised in but he should know he's neither doomed or damned. What Sarek and I went through with trying to make sense of who we were and his actions during his pon farr was not anything I wanted Spock to see but far be it from me to hold my tongue and swallow a bitter pill on behalf of someone else. I understand the Vulcan's biological function can't be helped but _neither_ should it be excused." Amanda huffed.

T'Kaas looked unaffected by her words but she nodded as she drank her tea. Nyota knew now that the healer had a human mate but she wondered if T'Kaas had to deal with aggressive overtures by the males here as well? How had she handled that for so many years before her eventual marriage to Ikeno?

Nyota shuddered as she thought of the possibilities and quickly cast the grim thoughts aside. Either way it seemed no matter the age, color or species: no female was safe from the crazed drive of the Vulcan males here.

Amanda took a sip of her tea as well and continued on. " That was for me to make peace with, and in my own way I have. I feel the remorse from my mate on a daily basis, and in a lot of ways it has helped me to heal. If what you say is true, that Spock did not take you against your will, then please, Nyota, tell him. He is distraught from the thought that he abused and violated his mate. Vulcans males may seem aloof, even indifferent at times but they love their bondmates more than life itself. I know that from personal experience."

Nyota's eyebrows furrowed again as she sought to riddle out the puzzle of the last sentence that Amanda laid out before her, but time was of the essence if Spock was still ill with _plak tow_. " I will tell him but how do I convince him that I want to stay here as his wife if he will not listen to my words?"

T'Kaas blinked slowly in amusement before finishing her tea. " You win his favor as every wedded female does. Males as a whole are simple creatures and this matter is no different. _Show_ him that you want _him_."

Nyota was surprised at the emphasis that the healer put into her words, but before she could think much more on it, the elder was rising and tucking her hands into her robe. Amanda lifted and placed a small covered basket onto the table.

Nyota's earrings jangled as she leaned forward to inspect the woven reed basket. " What is it?"

" Just a bit of food from the market. Once you two come up for air you should eat but I won't be around for it. It is one thing to know what's going on with your son and another thing to hear it." she winked at her knowingly.

T'Kaas stared across the table at Nyota's now hot face before blinking away. " Indubitably."

Nyota looked down at her lap and cleared her throat. "...I should take my leave then…"

" As should we. Live long and prosper, _T'sai_ Nyota." The healer replied eloquently as she glided away from the table with Amanda. " We shall give you all your privacy but after speaking with the rest of your household, we will not wander too far."

Nyota glanced at Amanda who nodded her head knowingly. " No one touches our family without consequence, dear."

" Thank you." Nyota said in relief. " The more a burden is shared among family the smaller it is to bear."

The ladies nodded and neatly saw themselves out of the house.

Nyota remained at the table going over her thoughts. She turned the cooling mug around in her hands before venturing for a sip. It was cool now and she readily drained it in one go. Like most Vulcan foods the tea was spicy but not unpleasant as it slipped down her throat. It was nice to be alone with her thoughts for once. Coming to the village and meeting her new community had soothed her spirit in many ways but this comfort now also came with the threat of danger. It was just one more hazard in a long list of peril that she and Spock had had to face which is why Spock asking to be severed from her came as such a numbing blow.

To hear T'Kaas talk about it had taken the wind out of her mouth but thinking back Amanda to their previous conversation she had evened out the blow with a gentlier version.

" He loves you, of that there's no doubt but my son is afraid of making a mess of things. Let him know that you'll stay by his side even when it's him making your life a ball of confusion."

Nyota's hands went to her hair and let loose from the leather fastenings banded down the long length of it. T'Kaas had no time or desire to try and replicate any braids like those she had seen worn among some of the women. After helping to detangling it with coconut oil the healer attempted her best with wrapping the strands with leather to keep it together unbraided.

It had certainly come in handy as Nyota fluffed it free. Untying the her wrap she let it fall to the cushion and around her waist. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her husband was being stupid but her was being so on her behalf. He loved her but she had to assure him she loved him back.

Many things had gotten in the way of her being able to express her love for him with him knowing least of which was pon farr. And if he thought he could just pick up and stalk off without her then he thought wrong.

Nyota stood up from the table and padded through the house towards the garden. Away with her timidness, she knew what lay ahead of her now. She just wished that someone would have told her that once you are a warrior you never cease fighting for those you love.

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Spock sat overlooking his reflection in the spring with new eyes. The image had changed fractionally over the years, but the male behind it was unrecognizable now.

In hours past he had been everything that he feared. Nyota's scent roused him from his sleep but the Spock she summoned was not the one she knew. And for the times that he had been self aware he could do nothing to stop it. He had moved until completion like an incessant wave that rose and broke against her. Once spent they had only a moment's reprieve before he was pulled under again. The night had been pleasurable as much as it had been tiring and Spock found himself drifting between lucidity and dreaming now. He had often wondered how much he had done but he knew he had done enough. _Deviant_ he cursed himself.

The image of his visage in the water was broken as a scarlet dragonfly skipped across the water in hot pursuit of another. Spock watched as the two carnivorous insects engaged in a miniature duel of agility. The female dodged the male and the male flew with determination to catch her.

Just like he had chased and captured Nyota. Looking away Spock folded his long legs and hugged them to his chest. He had not performed this position for nearly 10 and a quarter summers but he found that he needed the comfort that this pose possessed. Every step away from Nyota and the temple had felt like a stab to his heart. He longed not to leave her but after what he had done to her how could he stay?

Spock snarled at himself and clenched his jaw. _E'shua_...he accused himself, _you are nothing more than a hedonistic beast! Remember what you did! You think it was all pon farr? You know the truth, you know how much you craved her. How you relished being her first and sought to ensure that you'd be the only. You remember how you took her…_

Had his pon farr shown him his true Vulcan nature? Or perhaps, even more disturbing, his own personal nature? His friends and peers had tried to make assurances that Spock was normal but he had seen how Oratt had regarded him after their meld. He had been shocked that Spock would think to feast between Nyota's legs.

Though his memory was foggy Spock believed from the rich smell of Nyota around his mouth that he had done so in reality as well. The fact of the matter was Spock knew in his mind that pon farr had very little to do with driving him to devour her sex. He had always wanted to do so... that and so much more.

The times that he had been lucid enough to remember spent with her beneath him had been exquisite. Her body had been just as soft and supple as her mind, intoxicating him like _changaa_. And when she had finally shivered and locked around him in pleasure he had lost himself.

He grunted and shifted against the tree letting his robe fall open as recalled mounting her from behind. She had been hesitant but in his state of mind that only excited him more. _Please her so that she knows there is no shame to be had_ a voice offered as he held onto her hips and drove himself in.

And the things that he said! He groaned and shifted again as he felt his lok throb at the memory of her rich, syrupy voice sobbing his name as he made her shudder. It had been addictive. Once he heard it he took means to make her say it again. He cared very little as to how she uttered it as long as his name was on her lips. Whether it was praised, begged or cursed, Spock had obsessed over hearing her little pink tongue curl itself around those syllables.

His grip tightened on his shins as he recalled her climaxing. When she came it had been a relief to them both, washing over them in a pulsing wave. It would have been nice to have his regard of her orgasm stop there but Spock knew the truth. Only in his mind could he avow his pride in her shuddering, the power he felt over her as she trembled from his touch. He wanted her as mindless as he was, to think of nothing but him and with each subsequent wave Spock felt his goal closer to obtainment.

It had only been the sight of her still, bleeding body that had reined him otherwise Spock was quite confident that he would have still found himself inside her this very minute.

Spock raked his fingers through his mussed hair and clenched his jaw. Had he been a monster all along and only his bride could see the truth of who he was as a Vulcan? That night on the culling rock had Nyota been so frightened of him because she could actually see him for who he was?

He growled and sniffed intermittently as thoughts of Nyota tormented him in their multitude. The most difficult but most rewarding experience in his life had been bonding with her but now he that had to walk away from it.

 _She deserves anything that she wishes of me,_ he thought. In her short time of being his mate Nyota had found some small measure of happiness here with him but nothing to equate or let alone outweigh his savagery towards her during his blood fever. According to T'Kaas it had just been the first bout of his mating time. He could not subject her to any more.

Not one ounce of care had been given to shame or morality as he growled and licked and pumped himself against her. It had all come crashing down on him this his first morning after. Hiding away here in the garden like a sore-pawed leopard had only mildly relieved him. In some ways because he had not been strong enough to protect her from himself and in others because he thoroughly enjoyed it.

So much so that given the chance and the opportunity he would have her again. And again.

In truth Spock was still unwell. The fever had been broken but only for a short time. His body still ached and his member stood out proudly between his robe, wet and stiff as a rod. Emotions clawed at him as he had sat feeling lonely, miserable and angry.

He had left Nyota there in the temple in the middle of his want, but he would not go to her. He had already taken so much, too much, and it would not make letting her go any easier if he were to mate with her again.

Nirak had already paid him a visit in the garden where he confessed his sins again.

" My Ka'tra…" he started before licking his lips and looking for the words. " The purification for it did not take."

Nirak's neatly arched brows rose in surprise as he offered his hand for melding. Spock knelt before him in submission and opened to his touch. The male healer did a thorough review of his plak tow and quickly left his mind seconds after he entered.

" I see. I will summon your mate to meet with T'Kaas and speak with her. I will take my leave now, Spock, son of Sarek," he said with a brisk dismissal.

After the healer disappeared from view Spock had further retreated into the garden. He had wandered aimlessly with his robe open to the wind as his body felt overly warm from the sun but chilled from his illness. It wasn't until his strength threatened to leave him that he considered resting.

The baobab was nearest and its portly trunk shook as he braced himself against and slunk down to the ground. The spring lying just outside of his reach rippled from his descent. _Nyota would have enjoyed this garden_ he mused sadly as he gazed at the landscape's shaky reflection in the pool.

It was artificial in its creation but the fenced green space served as an open air meditation area. Sarek had taken pains to make it to flourish as it did today. Every tree's boughs were heavy with fruit or flowers while the lowly plants carpeted the ground in a thick shag of green. His mother had been Sarek's inspiration as he was sure his father would have opted for a sunny rock garden.

Other the years Spock had come to learn of its origins from a meld with his mother. After gleaning that his wife loved flowers, the Vulcan elder poured himself into his work. A modest portion of the surrounding forest inside the carter was walled off with rocks and set against their home. Week after week his father put what little knowledge he had of Terran botany and shaped a magnificent landscape complete with a water feature all in hopes of wooing his wife.

It had come during a time that had been hard for each of them. Spock had felt his mother's pining for a family she hadn't seen in years while his father silently suffered with a malaise that Spock had never learned the origin of.

Together his parents had continued to manicure the land and weathered the season of their melancholy. When he still dwelled here Spock often times found them seated near the spring, gazing as he was now. Maybe the memory of his parent's healing here had led Spock to comfort himself here now.

Spock's gaze went from the water's edge to the fallen leaves lying between the massive roots of the fat Baobab. The tree itself was not much in the way of shade but in his condition its leaves were refreshing to chew and calm him.

Gathering a few of the freshest specimens he crammed them into his mouth and chewed them into a squishy pulp. The bright, clean taste bit sharply at his fatigue but it was short lived as his mind meandered back _her_.

He did not want to lose Nyota. Years of waiting and preparation aside, his bond with her went beyond that of their link. His craving for her body was powerful but not nearly as great as the emotional need that she evoked within him. It was a feeling that he had failed to categorize. The deep welling within him was like the feeling of engulfment but Spock did not feel his stomach knotting or the nonsensical nervousness that accompanied such a feeling before.

But no matter what the emotion was his need to protect her was significant enough that he would go as far as removing their bondlink and maim himself with the lingering pon farr. He could not be trusted around her, he saw that now. His father had tried to warn him from his own experience but he had foolishly thought himself above the primal pull of his base instincts. How wrong he had been.

Time passed slowly there in the garden and after sometime of sitting still Spock fell asleep.

He hadn't planned on it but as sleep pulled at him, Spock welcomed its embrace. He was tired. The ache in his side only drained him further. And he did not want to dwell on its cause.

He dreamed of Nyota. As he slept with songbirds laughing above him Spock took solace in his mind. He pictured the two of them reclining in the cool of the shade as they waited out the sun's peak. Her satchel was off to the side and full from forging as he had worked and watched over her from his shepherd's perch earlier. They laid curled around each other half dozing after a light meal of roasted yams and samosas.

He was resting against a mature baobab tree with Nyota curled onto his lap. She complained earlier about his body heat but in the shade after a long morning's work she welcomed the respite of his lightly clothed figure. It was not long before he found her lightly snoring against him. As she slept Nyota cuddled closer as she always did. It was a subconscious move of assurance that she was indeed not alone.

Spock welcomed the crush of her cheek resting along his chest as he admired the bustling savannah. With his mate safely tucked against him he felt an odd sense of indifference towards the world. Whatever its lot Spock was wholly contented to leave it be for the world she had created since uniting with him.

"...Spo…" she started to mumble before smacking her lips with a frown. He cast his eyes down at her squirming figure and felt the sight tug his lips up a fraction. Poor beloved must be hot. Though he may have felt stifling to her, Nyota muted warmth was quite refreshing to him. In the vignette her body had not lost its appeal. Even now it was like he could sense the bubbling affection she held for him through the mask of her skin at his chest.

In his dream Nyota shifted and planted a kiss on his sternum. He hummed and reached out to rest his hand on the crown of her head. With a careful twist of his fingers Spock freed her braids of their fastening as she worked her way up his neck. Spock stretched under the soft crush of her lips and offered up more of his body to her attention. An airy laugh left her lips before he felt her mouth move over his.

She kissed him with a verve he had never knew she housed. A slow burn kindled inside him at the soft sound of her muffled moaning. She wanted him, needed him badly and he would not be one to deny her. He kissed her back hungrily, ignoring the lolling cattle on the plain. His focus tunneled in on the spicy scent of her. His lids grew heavy from something other than sleep as his hands went to her neck and pulled her closer. She went forward willingly rubbing her cheek against his as she arched, his other hand at her back.

" Spock…" she whispered tenderly stroking along the crest of his ear. " _Oramatawa_ …wake up." ( the one who makes my heart skips a beat)

The light touch of her fingers tickled his sides as his heart fluttered at her words. Not one to be ostentatious in her affections, Nyota's behavior in the dream, while pleasant, had somewhat taken him out of the scene. She would never utter something so saccharine, especially to him. Her hands stilled and fell to his chest.

" _Mpenzi wangu…"_ (my love…) she continued ardently." Do not part from me...don't sever our bond. Why would you leave me to the others when I only want you?" She asked resting her head down on his shoulder.

He turned his head to rest his chin on hers. The stubble along his face caught and pulled at her hair and he gently shook it free. He swallowed roughly and furrowed his brow as he answered her." I would leave you to no one. No other may touch you but cannot stay here with me."

The hands at his side dug into the meat of his flesh until the nail bit through his skin. Nyota pulled closer and strength of her hurt caused Spock to groan. The hand at her neck tipped up towards her face and skimmed across the surface of her mind. She was angry with his answer. She was had been taken by him in more ways than one but he would now leave her alone, without defence or affection?

" No I want to stay! I want you to touch me." She sniffled clawing at him. " You say no other will touch me but you can't promise that."

Spock drew his hand away as her anguish ripped at him. His brows tilted upward in surprise and dismay. He had not thought that she would be this distressed. Surely the love she had for her family was greater than the love she possessed for him?

Spock tried to turn her face to look at him but she jerked away bitterly. He huffed crossly and put both hands on her shoulders. " Do not be foolish, I _ravaged_ you Nyota. You cannot stay. I give you my word that no one will touch you."

She only sniffled at his words and shook against the curve of his collarbone. A cool tear landed wetly in the depression of his clavicle and rolled down as she angrily wiped her face.

" I've seen the way he looked at me, the way he stared when he did not know I was looking. It's hungry like yours and it frightens me."

Anger instantly marred his face as the possession that he felt came over him. " Who looks at you? Rovoc?"

She shook her head and bit her lip. He looked away from her crestfallen face deep in thought when her hands drew his eyes back to her.

" _Nakupenda sana_ Spock…( my love, I love you Spock) Please let me stay." She shifted and straddled his lap, wrapping her arms up and around his neck.

Spock swallowed as the heady sensation of her lust sunk its way into his body and her fingers skimmed across his scalp and knotted in his hair. Nyota rocked herself against his throbbing member as she used her hold in his hair for leverage. His eyes shut and mouth fell open with a silent groan as she shifted further up along his shaft. She took advantage of his open mouth and covered it with her own.

His hands touched her waist hesitantly as she kissed him with the same fierceness he had during his fever. Cool but no less demanding, her tongue pushed its way past his lips and grazed the points of his canines.

He followed her lead and went curling his own tongue against the soft, slickness of hers. It was still novel to him that her body was so wet as he felt her saliva coat the dry walls of his mouth. It was rather pleasant, the taste that she left along his tongue like that of tea and honey. He dipped in further and groaned loudly into her mouth.

He loved this, the slow, leisurely caress of their mouths as they continued to explore this new domain. Their hands joined the search as they swept hungrily across the new planes of skin exposed to their fingers. A tingling thrum coursed between them, expounding at a stupefying rate. As he glided along the crest of their arousal Spock faltered once again in guilt. It was so natural now to kiss her, love her like this but he could not have _this_ or her any longer.

He jerked with a growl as she bit at his tongue. Opening his eyes he saw her fierce expression of determination and knew that she had felt his hesitation. At his recognition she softened the lines of her face and ran her fingers down his chest to rest against his abdomen. He sighed as she pulled her mouth away with a loud, wet smack watched her curiously.

" _Kabaggo nakalitwawula, niwe ninkunde wenka_." ( My love till death do us part, you are the only one my love.) The bite to his tongue stung and muddled his mouth with the metallic taste of blood. He could taste his blood...

Spock faltered and woke with a start to find Nyota actually on top of him. " Nyota..?!"

Her eyes watched his face darkly as she panted above him. Her face flush beneath the cinnamon of her skin and struck with a look of brooding. Her full lips were dotted with blotches of green and tilted down in a frown. Her hair caught the wind and brushed his skin, stirring him from his enthrallment. She was actually here...but she shouldn't be.

His hands tightened their grip at her hips as her scent also rode the wind. He inhaled sharply and exhaled with a ragged hiss. He was torn with whether or not to draw her closer or cast her away. She shouldn't be here! Not with him, not this way.

" Nyota…" he repeated, dumbstruck with what to say or do. She had come for him.

" _Nakupenda sana. Nakupenda sana K'diwa_ ," she said wrapping herself around him.

He took a quick breath as her bare body brushed slowly against him. Her nipples dragged teasingly across his chest like some form of torture while her hips rolled temptingly across his lap. His fingers shook with effort not to lift her up and sink into her. In his denial of satisfaction his body rebutted with a jolt of pain. He would either have her or have pain.

" Nyota, stop. Go from me."

" Spock, you're not going anywhere and neither am I."

He growled at her lowly in an attempt to intimidate her but Nyota merely huffed and thumped his nose with a flick of her finger. " Don't growl at me, at least not like that…" she chuckled. " You keep it up though and I will give you something to growl about…"

He shook his head now in true confusion. How much of their conversation had been a dream? Had she spoken with T'Kaas? If so why had she not readily agreed to go back to her people? He wouldn't send her back empty handed and would have made sure to press the fact that it was not her fault that she was being sent back.

With firm hands Spock gripped her biceps and met her eye as he repeated himself. " Nyota, you are not safe with me."

Nyota shook her head as she worked the heavy black robe from his shoulders to his elbows and made a noise of satisfaction at the sight of his torso. Meeting his gaze again Nyota purposefully licked her lips. His eyes traced her tongue before snapping back to her eyes. She was provoking him. He huffed and tried his best to hardened his resolve.

A coy smiled curled her lips as she slid her fingers beneath his chin. His body leaned into her touch even as his mind tried to reel it back. When she scratched along his jaw Spock nearly lost himself. He gave a low chuff from deep in his chest and felt her thrill of gaining ground. She added her other hand and he wallowed in her palms with a needy purr.

Why was she torturing him like this? That lithe, brown body were more persuasive than he gave credit. At the touch of her hand Nyota held him captivated. If she engulfed him with her quim she could easily bent him to her whims and he'd be near helpless to stop her. He swallowed down the simpering hum that threatened to escape him.

It was illogical how proficient she was at seduction. Maybe he was still dreaming? Glaring up from underneath his lashes Spock saw the coquettish smirk that matched the heady pull he felt tugging at his fingers.

" I am quite safe with you. You saved me remember? From Asa and the rest of the warriors my silly caracal." she teased.

Spock lifted his eyebrow at her feline quip but stayed his course. " I...I have already hurt you. During my time, I was manic and did things to you I...you were begging me…and I did not stop."

Her hands left his face and spread her fingers across his chest. Nyota leaned forward with a low lidded gaze and hover above the rigid erection pressed up against his belly." I was begging you for more, Spock..."

He flushed hotly as she hung above him. She was so close to meeting his lok with the lips of her sex that he could feel the heat of it across the surface of its head. His head began to pulse in time with his breath as he held himself in check. His fever was returning at her proximity and his abstinence.

This horrid pain, would it ever leave him? As Spock eyed the thin tuff of hair between her legs and the rise and fall of her breasts, his mind offered a solution. The voice from earlier beseeched him again as his focus glazed over at the scent of her arousal.

 _It would be so easy, to push her back onto the ground, seize her legs and take her here in the garden with none but the birds as a witness to his abuse of power. Pin her arms and lift her hips and drive himself to relief. He would not bank his strength as he crashed their hips together and he would be rid of this terrible heat as soon as he passed it to her in a liquid torrent. It didn't matter where, just that she took it from him. And what would good it do him to only partake of her sweetness once? There were still quite a few positions they had yet to try and still more ways he had yet to make her come._

Spock shook himself with disgust and clenched his jaw tightly. That had been his pon farr entreating...right?

No, no! No more of this!

Spock huffed in annoyance and glared at her though it was hard to hold his anger. Especially with Nyota looking as tempting a morsel as she appeared. His jaw ticked with a click as she ran her fingers delicately over his wrists. He could feel her want to mark him as her own, her need to make this relationship committed both ways. _Another on his neck would do nicely_ a voice inside him tittered softly as he beat the urge to present himself to her teeth. _Focus_ he berated himself.

"I felt your pain. Saw the blood on my lok...," he confessed in remorse.

Nyota blushed and nibbled on her lips. " I am not sure about your females, but our women bleed from…". She looked to the ground below him as she struggled to find the word in Vulcan but settled on an English word she had learned from Amanda while making sachets of tea. " A seal on the inside leading to our womb. It...you...umm when you pushed so roughly past it the tissue tore and I bled. Of course I felt pain from that but it was short lived. If you take me again it should not bleed or be so painful now and if either event should occur it should only be a little of either blood or pain."

" I took you in the way that was shameful," he pushed, playing his own devil's advocate.

Her blush deepened and along with the look of her desire. " And I liked it. You did nothing wrong Spock. When I first saw you on the mara I was terrified. Relations were the last thing on my mind but as I spent time with you I saw what kind of male you were. My heart knew before my mind did but I know that I am safe and sound with a man that wanted to possess my friendship and trust before he possessed my body."

Pushing away the thick silk of his robe from around his waist, Nyota took him into her hands. Spock groaned with a punctuated pump of his hips and looked at her for mercy. If she did not stop, logic help her. he would take her where she sat.

With a meek but eager touch, Nyota ran her hands over him and gave his knot a gentle squeeze. He gulped audibly and shut his eyes. A hoarse curse left his mouth when she ran her nail along his medial ring. "Nyota I…"

Again she protested and shook her head. " After your bout with Asa, your healer instructed me on your care. T'Kaas checked the state of your mind and told me that you would most likely awake in plak tow. Both she and your mother helped me to prepare for you Spock. You didn't catch me off guard though you knocking the pre shade all over my mouth did. Me falling asleep is _very_ much _your_ fault." She said with a humorless grin.

" I do not understand. My mother did what?"

Nyota huffed and slowly lowered herself down until she was butted against the head of his member. "Thank you for waiting until I was ready. That night you took nothing of me that I didn't freely give you."

" But…"

" Shut up, Spock. You talk too much," she teased, sinking slowly onto his lengthy girth with a whine. " _Nakata Kutomba wewe_ … ( I want you to fuck me…)"

" Ny...Uhhh!" Spock grunted as Nyota slid past his ring and ridges and completely engulfed him. Spock dug his fingers into the dirt as his wife's body grabbed at his shaft a second time, this round without her hands in a warm, wet grip that made his lok jerk in response. " _Please_ understand I _Mhmm_."

Her mouth devoured the rest of his words. Her lips spread against his and ate at what little hesitance he had left. Was she truly not disgusted with him? Did her desire to stay actually have to do with love?

Spock hummed as her chin and nose brushed against his own in an hungry nuzzle. Long gone were her timid kisses as Nyota sought to claim him. Her hips had yet to move back up along his shaft aside from shifting forward to get closer to his mouth. The feeling of her surrounding him with the knowledge that she did so willingly was driving him mad. He waited impatiently for her to lift her bottom, twist her hips, _anything_ to finish what she had started.

He growled into the kiss only to feel her mirth in reply. She added her hands to the playful challenge and ran them over his face and along his ears while deepening their kiss. At the brush of her nipples against his chest Spock gathered what she was aiming for.

She was claiming her mate in the most primal way she knew how and was willing him to reciprocate. He had tried to free her, but from her present position Spock surmised would not be swayed from their current arrangement. Even with his telepathy weakened he could feel the welcoming warmth of her love fluttering in the pit of his chest and constricting his breathing.

Nyota must have felt his quiet contemplation because her mouth and hands became more insistent in her need. She nipped at his jaw and chin while digging her nails into the meat of his shoulders. When her teeth moved over a particularly sensitive spot near his neck his body betrayed him.

Spock reared up and pinned Nyota below him with a snarl. She fell back onto the ground with a thud and went limp beneath him. They paused in their respective positions with him above and her below. The leaves and flowers that the baobab had discarded had caught in her hair in a manner he found alluring. She gazed up at him with her breathing uneven as she waited for him to make the next move. Spock blinked at her and reviewed his reaction. What happened? Why did his body react so readily to her bite and scratching? It hadn't hurt and he could tell she meant no harm, but at the first sting of his skin Spock had wanted more...and to return the favor with a few marks of his own.

In his daze, Nyota whined and ran her nails over his chest. " Kurudi, simbamangu ( come back, caracal )"

His eyes flutter shut with a hiss at the burning trail she left down his torso. As she reached his navel, his hand caught her wrists and pushed her hands off and away. " You want to stay with me?"

She nodded vigorously disturbing the leaves below her. "Ndiyo (yes)!"

Hooking her legs around his hips she answer again in Vulcan. " _Ha Spock. Sanoi_."

He evinced nothing of his pleasure as her arms up around his neck. If she insisted there had been no foul on his part then he believed her. He wanted Nyota more than anything and if she gave herself willingly and free of offense than he would take all of her. " Please. Stay."

The smile that broke across her face was only diminished by her tears but her euphoria was hardly distilled through their bond. Her rapture swept through him in a numbing wave of warm. Its touch was weighted but enveloped him softly, as if he were being cradled in cotton. A low trill left his lips as he relished the crush. " Yes, please. Please, please, stay."

" I will stay as long as you'll have me and longer still."

His tongue ran over his teeth in a not so subtle promise. Nyota watched and shivered as he did so with a languid lick of her lips. The heels of her feet dug down into his back as she tried to pull him back inside. He held himself still and hummed down at her pouty face. She was eager to get him back inside and was pulling all sorts of stunts to achieve her goal. Her strength was admirable but the soft push of her lips combined with the tilt of her brow won him over. Interested in the game Nyota initiated Spock leaned forward guiding the blunt head of his lok in between the soft, slick folds of her sex. From there, he slowly put his weight into the motion and pushed until he felt resistance right at the entrance he had torn days before. When he made no further moves Nyota whimpered and wiggled beneath him.

" You want me?" he asked holding himself at bay. The need to sink himself inside her was riding him hard but he needed her assurance. He could feel the hair on the back of his neck rising up like hackles as his planted his hands on either side of her waist on the ground. Nyota's body twisted below him and disturbed the fallen foliage beneath her. Punctuated huffs left her mouth in whiny little mews when a jut of his hips pressed for her answer. She nodded with her face looking as plaintive as he'd ever seen it. Spock felt his fingers dig into the ground as her cool breath grazed his chin and stole over what little control he still possessed.

" Only you."

She arched and brought her plush chest up to meet his. His lids dropped lower but he continued to taunt them both. She had made him suffer and now it was his turn to return the favor.

Her pout returned, along with her attempts to seduce him.

" Spock, please? Please please please? _Sanoi, S'haile_?" She cooed, letting her hands claw over him. She was begging him to move. The fact that he was only an eighth of the way inside her nearly drove her mad but he needed her delirious. It had taken no time at all the last time that they joined to empty himself inside her that he sought to have Nyota claim her pleasure first. At least it wouldn't be as embarrassing.

Nyota's face drew tighter as she whimpered with frustration and bit at her lip. He knew the feeling well, the same rabid hunger that consumed his mind over the course of her stay any time she came near him. In a odd sort of fashion Spock took pleasure in her neediness, like a penance for her denial and a vindication for his long suffering. She would have him but he would have her beg a while longer.

" Make me tremble against you. Please, make me come. Please."

He hummed with humor at the idea until he felt her nipples drag along his skin. His jaw ticced and his nose flared as her quim milked at him. The earthy musk of her arousal hit him along with her words and he swallowed down a very Vulcan, very masculine growl.

 _His_. With a calmness he did not actually possess, Spock slowly pushed past her healing hymen and fed her every inch of him. As his ring popped inside they both moaned from the reverberating friction.

Regaining his control, Spock gaze wandered down and watched Nyota's face as he steadily filled her.

Her soft brows tilted up in mock distress with her eyes glued shut as she focused in and savored the sensation sparking from between her legs. She took a deep breath at the bump of his knot and arched up with a quailing moan as he twisted his hips to fully seat himself inside.

Here in this moment they were free to explore and covet each other as only newlyweds could. Her tightness to his girth, her shallowness to his length; the differences were complimentary and welcomed by each.

In a boldness that was becoming ever more increasing, Nyota moved beneath him trying to rock herself onto his lok with very little success. " Spock please I want…"

Spock cut her off mid sentence as he pulled her up into his lap and pulled her back down onto his shaft. Nyota's mouth fell open with a whiny groan as he rasped at her unconscious grip around him. He could come at that very moment but held their hips as still as he could to regain his composure.

No being should not feel as delightful as she did. How was he ever going to return back to his post out herding in the mara? In truth if the rest of their stay here at the village was exhausted with him inside her Spock would consider time well spent.

He had barely caught himself when Nyota went back to his neck pulled the skin their between her teeth with a hardy pull. Spock's hands flew to her waist and held her still as he began to shift inside her.

She whimpered against his skin held his shoulders as he guided her up and down along his lok. Fast on the upstroke and slow on the down he found a rhythm that pleasured them both. To be fair anything at this point would have been equally satisfying. The throbbing to his forehead dimmed and his fever aches receded as he pushed his way inside her like no other had. Nyota's mouth was still latched onto his neck, sucking in a fashion he knew would leave a mark. Spock licked against her jaw and nipped at the soft, stretched lobe of her ear. She made a contented noise and nuzzled her lips against him.

" _Yours_?" She asked softly against the angry swell she left against his tendon.

He curled his head down against her shoulder and nodded with conviction. " Always. No other will ever touch you like this. No other will love you like this. Mine, always."

Spock pulled at her waist pulling her stomach in while pushing her plump backside out and increased his tempo. If Nyota had to ask then he had to show her that she was truly his. Up and down she went, tumbling onto his lap with a force that made her toes curl and her mind push everything but the feeling of his penetration aside. The grip she had on his shoulders went weak as Nyota's head rolled from side to side.

She was a vision, his desire incarnate as he plunged and sank and mouthed against her. Nyota mouth was murmuring, going on about how good he felt, how much more she wanted him among other things. Her sordid confessions spurred him on and he gave voice to his own.

His voice was unrecognizable even to his own ears as it spilled out in an inhuman rumble. His fingers dug into round swell of her backside and ran his tongue along her jaw. " _Nirsh-veh guv-tvi-trivak._ (No other can fuck you)."

" Yes…" she trilled, clawing at his scalp. Nyota's skin buzzed with an elated thrill of its own as he crudely spoken claim. He wished he could say it was all in the effort to be romantic but his coarse words and ribald language had risen from a Vulcan need inside him. If she chose to stay logic help her if she tried to leave now.

Nyota neither baulked or shied from his salacious proclamation helped as best she could lifting her hips on the withdraw and aligning them back down as he sunk his way down to the hilt. As she grew more vocal Spock felt his lingering angst diminish. How could he have been so foolish to have ever thought that he could release her? He groaned as she arched her chest against him with moan so loud he would be flush with embarrassment if he didn't relish it so much. She was his, always had been from the moment he saw her and he would rather be dead than know that another held her and loved her as he did now.

Rising up from her neck Spock looked down at her blushing face. " _Kal-tor au fai-tor._ ( Let them know)."

" Let who know what?" She asked breathlessly.

" _Kal-tor kahr fai-tor dungi nash shitau kan-bu svi'du veh._ (Let the village know that I am going to put a baby inside you)…"

She swallowed as her head back with a loud moan. " Spock…" But he continued on, caught up in her and the heat of the moment.

" Let that _bath-pa_ (curse word) Stonn and all the other _watosh kre-nath_ (ugly bastards) know who makes you tremble like this. Let them hear who touches you, the only one who can touch you." He choked out. His logic quailed at his words while his instincts sung his praises. _Yes, this was right_ the little voice said, _she is yours and she came to remind you of your claim. Let her know that you cherish her less she go to another. Let her see how great your ashau is._

Switching his hold from her waist to her bottom Spock picked up the pace. He hung his head on her shoulder as he pushed against her in a rhythm that left them both breathless. Never. Never ever could he have been parted from her. Nyota's nails bit into his skin as her voice sailed through the garden. Her bottom smacked loudly against his legs with a clapping that rung in his ears and made his mouth go dry.

His fingers dug themselves hungrily into her skin as he sought even the smallest glimpse of her mind. What he really wanted was to meld but there would no way that he could do so and maintain his tempo.

The sounds of their lovemaking echoed off the rock wall through the trees of the surrounding area. Birds and other small creatures had fallen silent and taken notice of the rutting pair below them, hopping from branch to branch or taking flight for somewhere more peaceful.

Spock could care less about whatever audience they were gathering in their wake. He had been terribly serious when he compelled Nyota to voice their actions in the garden. That shameful, cajoling need that he had felt since the start of his pon farr had been driving him to this moment. Let them hear, let them all hear that she is loved. Let them know they can never have her. Let them know that he is in between her thighs.

Nyota's voice was growing more urgent as she rose and fell above him. Spock's head dipped down to mouth and nip at the underside of her breasts. Her moaning grew more shrill as he closed his mouth over a nipple and pulled it tight against his tongue. She was tearing up now and lifting her chest higher towards the hot, hollow of his mouth. " Yes, oh god yes…!"

His purring resumed as he licked his mouth over to the other dark bud and suckled it into his mouth. Humming around it with a flick of his tongue Nyota trembled against him and shook her head wildly. Spock left her breasts and went back to her shoulder and ran his teeth lightly over her skin. " Do you like it…?"

" Yes!"

" Do you want it?"

" Oh God yes, please, Spock!"

Again he felt his sac ache for release and hurriedly angled her clit to rub against the hairy expanse of his pubic bone. Nyota's voice caught in her throat with a choking sob before she clamped around him in a throaty keen.

Spock crushed her closer with another curse and pushed inside her with abandon as he felt the heat boiling up inside rush into her and gush out into her. He held her close until he felt the torrent subside and his knot swell in place. Nyota wiggled and pushed against the fatty bulge but voiced no complaints as it locked her to him. Nyota fell flush against his chest with a tired groan and closed her eyes.

They remained quiet as they caught their breath and waited for his knot to subside. After a spell the birds returned to their songs and forging and life resumed its dull normalcy. Spock moved the loose material of his robe over her frame and loosely draped his arms around her waist. Nyota accepted each but held herself somewhat stiffly in his hold.

" Don't ever leave me again."

" _Dungi ri nash veh. Ni'droi'ik nar-tor._ (I will not. This one asks for your forgiveness.)"

" Of course, you have it...as long as we stay together you'll always have a chance to gain it." She murmured sleepily. " I wasn't mad or hurt from our coupling but I was both when you left me."

Spock took a deep breath and let his head fall back and rest against the smooth gray tree trunk. " I can not excuse myself but know that I was afraid. I was scared that you...that I lost you."

" I know what that feels like...I thought that I had lost you too."

They never defined what lost actually meant but it was clear from the tenor of their voices that the understanding behind the word was mutual. With a sweet, ringing pop Spock's knot receded and freed some of the white, pearly sap brimming inside her. She shifted as it slipped between them and sighed at the stickiness.

He took a casual sniff at the air and sighed along with her. Her scent remained the same and probably would over the course of his pon farr. He had been hoping that their mating the night before had taken hold within her for many reasons not the least of which was conception but if she were pregnant his plak-tow and pon farr would wane into little more than possessive affection. It appeared that they would be at it for at least a day or two more.

Nyota lifted her head from his shoulder and studied his face. He examined her back and felt his fear flare up again at the sight of the dark palm print marring her cheek. Reviewing the memory of breaking Asa's neck did very little to quell his anger. He wished to kill him all over again. He had hurt her and almost gotten away with her.

Her face came closer, kissing him chastely. He kissed her back until the burn in his throat forced him to break it. He closed his eyes against his grief and whispered against her lips.

" I almost _lost_ you."

" Spock…" she murmured softly, not knowing where to begin. Spock pulled his face back away from her mouth and looked at her mournfully. An emotion flashed across his face that she didn't readily recognize and Nyota waited for him to express himself.

" When you are away I am lost."

He reached up to gently touch the fading bruise on her cheek. " And then I almost left you... how would I have been able to when I feel this way."

Spock moved his hand higher and lit his fingers across her brow and cheek bone. Her mind was immediately pulled into his and set adrift in an ocean of sand. Her back was to the ground, looking up at the blank, blinding sky. The sand beat across her and ate at her skin with the wind as she shifted forward. The golden orange grains led to nothing else but more and more sand. No dunes, no riverbeds, nothing at all to mark her bearings. Just sand, the sun and the flat horizon wavering in the heat.

She was alone.

/ I felt this as I parted from you this morning. A barrenness that I could not escape. I was lost with nothing because in you I put my everything. I need you…/

A split second later Nyota was back in her body, shaking from distraught. She blinked and brought her hand to the cheek that was clear of Spock's hand. It came away wet with tears that Spock could not shed but she knew he felt. He had been heartbroken.

" The experience is something I hope to never relive again." He croaked softly. " Your value to me is immeasurable, Nyota."

Without hesitation she crushed herself against him with all the feeling she could muster. Spock sighed and melted into the embrace as her affection seeped in through his skin. " _Taluhk pi'ashayam_ ( Precious little love(r)."

Taking ahold of his face Nyota let her tears flow freely as she ran her thumb over his cheeks. She had been affected by the vision but he felt that her tears were meant for something else." I was scared that I lost you too. I thought…I thought you had died."

" From the ambush?"

She nodded and held him as if he were at risk of disappearing. " I had never been so...it was the worst day of my life."

Spock's large, black eyes watched her from under the lashes of his heavy hooded eyes. He felt her conviction but he wanted to see it. " Please allow me your thoughts."

Nyota leaned back down onto his shoulder and turned her face to his hand as he slipped in and came to stand back in the clearing. The vision played in fits, stopping and starting as her lingering emotions staggered its recall. Spock saw himself being swarmed and swatted with spears and clubs as Nyota's urge to return to his side stung at his ribs. He disappeared from view and she was confronted with an angry and delusional Asa.

His words caught Spock's interest as he made mention of an accomplice to his bride-napping and relieved the irritation that had stuck in Spock's craw even in his fevered state. How had they found them with all the Mara between them? To say that it had been chance was beyond far-fetched but now Spock was left with an answer and concern. Someone had plotted his demise and Nyota's kidnapping and after their first attempt they would no doubt regroup and try again.

The face of the healer Ikeno M'benga played in their mind confirming more of his thoughts and he immediately reviewed the high clans residing here in the walls of the village. Of the four he was a part of one and the other two were relatively beign. But then there was Stonn's.

Was it him or did his emotions cloud his judgement? Rovoc had been cordial with him but the youth was much more friendly with the house of Stonn's wife, T'Pring. Perhaps the herdsman had tipped Asa off as a favor but who then was left in charge of the shepherds?

T'izh, the daughter of the high clan P'jem had shown him neither warmth or contempt in their childhood together. The albino Vulcaness had mostly kept to herself and indoors well away from judging eyes and the harshness of the sun's rays.

T'Bes was Oratt's mate, Spock automatically ruled out after reviewing his meld with the male. Oratt was a male of high morals and honor bound in his ways but he had no noble blood within him. T'Bes would gain nothing by Spock's death which also led Spock to believe that Stonn had more to do with their attack. T'Pring, he could not rule out as she was his mate but until he obtained evidence to either Vulcan's involvement Spock only had his speculations.

He slipped quietly out of Nyota's mind and gathered his mate closer. " _Ri veh ki'estuhl du. Ri veh._ ( No one may/will touch you. No one.)"

A/N: Sorry for the delay, stuff in rl was keeping me from finishing this. Hopefully I'll have 19 ready for beta review by Monday and up on Tuesday. Thank you for the nudges pretties, spurring me on.


	19. Chapter 19: A male of his word

They stayed there in the garden, dozing in the sun. Every now and again one of the two would stir but after a brief yawn or look around for the other, the newlyweds went back to sleep. It was late afternoon when Spock finally rose. He had pulled both of them from resting against the tree down onto the ground and there they slept against the mossy ground below. He rubbed his face against his shoulder and gave a slow exhale. With a lazy blink he spied Nyota near the pool reclining on her back. Crawling free from his robe he climbed over the top of her and settled once again between her legs.

Amanda turned her head and shielded her eyes with her hand. She hurried away from the window with a sound of annoyance.

When she stood near the table she uncovered her face with an exasperated sigh. " Are they ever going to eat!?"

Sarek blinked up from his reading and cut his eyes over towards the window before settling on his wife with a tilt of his brow. " Of course they will eat."

" When Sarek? It's been damn near five hours and they've done nothing more than sleep and knock against each other. Even lions don't mate nearly as much! At least they could vacate the garden and go to his room. Anyone could just walk by and _see_ the pair of them!"

Sarek lowered his paper pamphlet to the stout ebony table and opened his mouth to speak when Nyota's keening voice cut him off. He tried to speak again but this time the sound of their son's growling sailed through the air effectively silencing him once more.

" Oh for heaven's sakes! I'm leaving for another walk!" Amanda groused. As she fussed over her robe and shoes Sarek rose from the table.

He straightened himself with a roll of his shoulders, seemingly unperturbed. It only made Amanda more irritated. This male was as reserved as any gentleman she had encountered, but when it came to the rowdy exhibition now outside their courtyard he hardly batted an eye.

" For someone who has a hard time with public displays of affection you are being extremely cool about all that," she muttered, gesturing towards the garden.

His face remained impassive as he chose not to reply. Amanda threw her arm up and went back to searching for her outerwear. She wasn't really mad at him or even the children. Sarek was being himself and they were young and in love. The latter got to her as she stewed over someone trying to break them apart.

Suddenly remembering back to when she saw her son hanging limply in the guardsmen's arms and Nyota's battered face tear-stricken with grief, Amanda's heart once again dropped. She hadn't known all the details but she hadn't needed them then. What she knew at the time was that someone had abused her new daughter and almost killed her son.

The peaceful life she had made here at the compound with Sarek had been rocked to its core leaving her feeling vulnerable and angry. She felt like she was 19 all over again...alone and terrified from a new unknown. She thought she had lost her baby.

Sarek watched her quietly as her agitation grew. She was just about to grab her hat when he handed it to her. " Allow me the pleasure of attending you."

She huffed with a smile and pulled the wide brim Panama cap over her head and extended her hand. " What? You leaving your reading to take a stroll? What if I end up going to the market?"

Sarek took her hand without complaint and led her towards the door. " I know you would not wander far with our children here and indisposed. Besides, I find the ambiance of our home not conducive for reading at the moment."

" I can't imagine why," she replied dryly as the amorous noise from the garden grew louder.

Once outside Sarek guided her down away from the house and towards the pathway that circled the mountain's carter. The _tip-tat-tip-tat_ of their footsteps followed them as they moved along the smooth, rocky trail. Or rather she did. Sarek always moved with a silent gait. Amanda took a deep breath and exhaled with a stretch. Sarek's eyes followed the reach of her arms and the twist of her spine as she fell in step beside him. When she looked back over to catch him staring at her she grinned as he immediately refocused his eyes onto the dirt pathway in front of them.

Still smiling she reclaimed his hand and gave his fingers a squeeze. " It feels lovely today."

Not turning to face her he gave a graceful bow of his head. " Indeed it is neither too cool or too warm for you."

Amanda hummed thoughtfully and tilted her head back to face the patchy tree canopy above instead of the vacant pathway ahead. " Vulcan must have been terribly hot then for you to find it so cool here in Kenya."

Sarek's fingers threaded themselves between hers and held their palms together beneath the sleeve of his robe. " Not just this country but Terra by large is a good deal cooler than Vulcan. You would have found most of our weather quite horrid."

At the mention of his homeworld Amanda felt the familiar weight of longing tugging at her fingers. So she did like she had always done with cheering up her melancholy Vulcan and began to distract him with riddles and jokes.

He'd always found the mind teasers clever and in those early years humor by way of logic had helped them to grow closer despite the many factors that would have kept them apart.

"Let's test how your English is coming along then, dear."

Sarek's thick, arched brow went up near his salt and pepper bangs. "Is it time for another riddle again?"

She nodded smugly as she gave his hand another squeeze. " You giving up so soon? You haven't even heard it darling."

" Give up?" he sniffed. " Hardly. Let's hear your little riddle."

Amanda smiled to herself as she felt his sadness diminish. " Okay then Mr. Confidence, how do you spell cow in thirteen letters?"

Sarek tilted his head as he searched for the answer. She watched him while he puzzled over the riddle and felt her middle flutter. He was ever so handsome. Alien or not her Sarek was a stunning example of masculinity.

The tall gent was already grey when he caught her but in the light of the sun she could see how the light silver strands gave his short cropped coffiere the hue of dark steel. His brows and chest hair followed suit but the thick lashes shading his dark eyes remained black as a raven.

Sarek tilted his head further and her eyes fell down toward his ears. Those silly but enticing pointy elven ears. They had many times discussed European mythology and the legends surrounding the beautiful, arch eared creatures. Perhaps Vulcans had come to Earth once before? Perhaps, but if they had the origins of the tall, lithe beings that were strong as three men and drawn to the stars where long forgotten and replaced with fairytales. But, unlike elves, Amanda knew the Vulcans to be quite real.

Looking at him now with his sharp features and alluring carriage, it was easy to see how if it were true how humans would have fawned over them. He was frightening but gorgeous, like the beauty one could behold of a big cat. No matter how breathtaking and endearing it seemed one, must never forgot to respect its nature. She knew him to be brilliant but at his core Sarek was something...something wild.

" This riddle is truly a quagmire," he said, stirring Amanda out of her thoughts. " I must know, how does one spell cow with thirteen letters?"

She quickly recovered from her musings with an airy chuckle and inclined her head towards him. " See o double you."

Sarek blinked at her twice in rapid succession as he took in words and counted the letters. " Ah. Clever but underhanded. Tell me another."

Amanda rubbed her jaw and hummed. " Have I ever asked you what belongs to you but others use it more?"

He drew a deep breath and shook his head. " No, beloved but I believe the answer is 'your name'."

" Oh shoot! You got it right! Aww they're too easy for you now!"

Sarek favored her with the smallest hint of a smile and looked down at her fondly. " No. I have just grown accustomed to your ways. Nothing about you is easy but everything about you is exceptional."

Amanda bumped his shoulder with a mutter about silly Vulcans and how the mating fever must been contagious as a ruse to turn away and hide her blush. " You must be ill. First this promenade and now the flirting? Perhaps I should check you for a fever."

He of course could feel how he had touched her and pulled her closer. She came to him willingly but would not met his eye as he walked over off the side of the paved trail. " Where are we going?"

" Just here, " he chimed, pulling her closer still. " I wish to look at you not out of the corner of my eye."

" You are delirious," she huffed.

" And you are beautiful."

Her mouth fell open and he bent down to quickly close it with his own. The kiss was modest but the feeling imbued within it was not. Amanda pulled away with a gasp and felt her face grow hotter. He was staring at her darkly and she knew from his regard that he would not press her for more but he would very much welcome it.

" I will never get use to that," she sighed with a shudder.

" What exactly, Amanda?"

She swallowed and shuddered again as she heard her name on his lips. It didn't sound English the way he extended the last syllable like a sigh. Sarek never merely said her name, he caressed it.

" The way you make me feel. The way you make everything feel."

" It is mutual," he said slowly, gazing down at her. His hand came up to her face and Amanda went still. It was reflexive. She knew what his fingers could do, make her want but she trusted him now. She wasn't that same youthful, anthropologist studying out on the mara and he wasn't the same lust ridden creature that had her begging for more with touch of his hands.

Sarek's hand paused briefly on its way over to her face so much so that Amanda wondered if he even did hesitate. Instead of resting against cheek, his fingers continue back to the loose strand of hair near her ear. He tucked it behind the curve of her ear and slowly drew away.

" I am sorry."

Amanda sighed and shrugged against him. " Me too. I mean...hmph, our son's time has got a lot of the past coming to haunt me."

" I am sorry."

" Stop. Please, I don't want to do this now. I love you and you know that," she said, pulling at the embroidered lapel of his robe. " Please."

He closed his eyes and nodded before pulling her back towards the lane. " As you wish."

His emotions were close to the surface as well, feelings of guilt mixed with anger at himself and pity towards her. She wanted no part in it.

" They're a good match," she started, before clearing her throat of the lingering tightness there.

" Our safu and Nyota?"

She hummed and nodded eyeing someone walking ahead on the trail now that they were rounding a bend. " I know Spock always worried about being accepted. That he would leave Nyota in his time of need exemplifies it, but they are a good balance."

Sarek observed a charm of blue waxwings watching them from the trees as he considered his son's pairing. " They both came into their marriage fearfully and as a result they were respectful of one another."

" Do you like Nyota?"

" She appears to be quite fond of our son and I find her carriage towards family to be pleasantly pious."

" That's all?"

Sarek inhaled and gave a delicate shrug of his shoulders. "And I have encountered only one other woman I would rue raising the ire of."

Amanda chuckled and bumped her hip against his leg as they walked. His stride went unbroken. " Is that so?"

He nodded gravely and retrieved a fallen feather that one of the waxwings had cast to the ground. Twisting the quill between his fingers he answered his wife. " Quite. It just so happens that both humans are a part of my family."

His tone might have been dry but Amanda knew that he was needling her. The tease. " Ah then you're very well kept," she said matter of factly.

Sarek's eyes flickered mischievously as he turned his head away from the birds and watched her mirthfully. " I would indeed say so. The whole of our villages envies the males of S'chn T'gai."

Her mouth frowned at the mention of envy and concern suddenly colored her face. " Someone does covet her though. But not enough to keep her so near. Sarek, was it Stonn?"

Sarek's gaze returned to the blue feather twirling between his fingers. He gave it more attention than one should have but she wasn't going to press him to look at her as he spoke. The more casual they appeared the better.

" I do not like to deal in uncertainties. That goes doubly for presuming innocence or guilt but for the sake of conversation he has the most motive."

He was holding back. Amanda looked around again but no one was so close as to overhear them now. " But?"

He inhaled as if tired by the discussion but she knew better. He was smelling her. He had often times said it soothed him when he felt agitated. He sighed and did so again before continuing on. " Stonn never struck me as a mastermind of anything. Not that he was dull-witted, just lacking in creative spirit. To go and strike up a treaty with the humans of Namanga, that if failed could spell countless repercussions for either side, seems out of his character."

He pursed his lips lightly and slowed his gait. Amanda was distracted momentarily by the pouty look of his face and he then looked over with a expression of amusement. " It was clear to see that when Spock eschewed T'Pring and pursued Nyota that Stonn felt slighted if not cheated. Therein lays a motive but his guilt would seem all too clear. As plain-natured as he is, attacking our children out right It is not something I would have thought Stonn would do."

Amanda read between the lines and replaced the 'he' in Sarek's words with 'a Vulcan'. No, a Vulcan would not be so direct. They were a methodical people but that did not mean they were ignorant of warcraft. Stonn was mated and bonded and now with a title by way of his wife.

What would he have gained? Nyota? Amanda couldn't see T'Pring being content to have her mate with a concubine but then again she did not know the Vulcaness as well as she knew others at the compound. The thought of Stonn stowing Nyota away as his plaything while her son struggled with fever made her blood boil. She wanted someone to blame. Waiting for a clear picture of what game was being played and who were the players made her skin crawl with inactivity. When would they get to _do_ something!?

She had been so absorbed in her thoughts that when Sarek's fingers brushed her cheek she gasped in surprise. He blinked at her with a feline smile and dropped his hand. " I find it equally aggravating but trust me when I say that when we do strike we will take down all involved and not the just what I suspect to be a stray aggressor. Whoever is at the heart of it was careless. They have long forgotten what I am or remain ignorant of the knowledge."

Amanda nodded. She shuddered too but she tried to play it off by rubbing at her arms. She was chilled but not from the weather. " How do you propose we go about finding the perpetrators then?"

Sarek opened his hand letting the feather spiral down towards the ground. He lifted his chin and tucked his hands behind his back. " We feign ignorance of any Vulcan involvement with the mara incident and gain intelligence. There are no doubt rumors milling about in the market and the square in places that I would not be welcome."

" The ladies get togethers."

He nodded and continued. " We act our part, distraught and pitiful and let their lips spill what their minds would guard us from. What they think and feel will have some part but I am curious as to what the women know. Vulcans, myself included, underestimate you all far too often."

" Hmm." Amanda replied kicking at a pebble on the flatten cobbled path. " I think I'll go to the market later. See about some food for supper."

" I think that would be wise."

Moving his large body in front of her he gently guided Amanda in an about face and back towards the house. " I am feeling particularly inclined towards curry, though anything you prepare is bound to be delectable."

She snorted and rolled her eyes. " That's a hoot. Are you trying to butter me up?"

Sarek looked off innocently, with that same impish twinkle in his eye. " And if I am trying to curry favor with you, would it be so offensive to you?"

She shook her head with a groan. " I've got to get Nyota and Spock back to the temple. All this pon farr is going to your head...and elsewhere."

Sarek drew away and took a few steps ahead of her. " We'll see to getting them to the temple tomorrow if not this evening."

Amanda eyed him skeptically at his easy agreement. " So you want them out of the house?"

" Not necessarily."

" What then? You tired of having to sharing my attention?"

He glanced at her from over his shoulder and she felt it down in her belly. " In this time they are entitled to their privacy as are we."

She hated when he looked so, so...ugh! " I ought to keep them there in the house. Have you steer clear of trying to bed me." She chided.

He stopped and turned abruptly. Amanda stumbled to a halt and caught his expression. She blushed furiously. His hand cupped her chin and tilted her face up towards him. " It would take far more than our children to keep me from trying."

His thumb circled across the sunkissed skin of her cheek before slipping against her parted lips. There a buzz of heady pressure pushing against her and she nearly lost her balance. It was stronger than any kiss could have ever felt, like her whole body had been enveloped by his lips. Even more jarring was his appearance of nonchalance. He had no more than blinked down at her mouth as his thumb pad grazed her mouth but behind that self possessed expression was a hoard of passion so unbridled he had to suppress it from his face and most of his actions.

And all of it was directed towards her.

Just as quickly as his touch embraced so did it leave. Like a flinch it moved her but had left before it could be dealt with. Amanda swallowed and he stared at her with a look she could not place. Longing? Love? Hunger?

" You are most lovely when you blush, Amanda."

He had turned back towards the house and left her standing there shell-shocked. " If you attend to our kofu's needs I will do the same with Spock and watch over them both when you go to the market."

She cleared her throat and did a hop skip to catch up with his long, gliding gait. " Of course, but I think we'll have to wait a while for that. I still hear them even from here."

The corners of his mouth teased upward as his ears caught the racket that was their family. " That may be so but they will have to eat sometime."

When they returned home the pair was still at it, soaken wet and on the bank.

" They've destroyed the waterlilies!"

" It appears we will have to restock the cichlids as well." Sarek commented with almost a sigh.

Amanda knew he was tickled by the sight, probably even proud of it. Spock had been so repressed as of late that her husband had worried that he would be sexually stunted.

With the way Nyota was trembling underneath him on the ferns below no such concerns remained. Nyota also had it lucky that his anatomy was easier to take in than his father's. Sarek was quite enjoyable but Amanda could only take so much of him at a time. Pon farrs with him had been...intense.

They made their way to the foyer and discarded their outerwear. Sarek suggested tea while they waited and she happily obliged. She made herself busy as she fought hard to ignore young couple's quite vocal enjoyment but she soon lost herself in her husband's company.

He was a very troubled thing and worshiped her to no end. Their past had hurt him as well as freed him from a life he rarely spoke of. She would attend him tonight and share in the springtime the two lovebirds in their garden had ushered forth. And if he was good Amanda would share her mind as well.

After a spell of silence they made their way out to the garden and retrieved them one at a time. Spock had growled at Sarek as he was carried out to his room, perturbed that another male was putting distance between him and his mate, but he was so tired that he succumbed to sleep as soon as he was replaced on his pallet.

Nyota barely woke up as Sarek carried her to the tub. She murmured dozily about birds and trees as Amanda bathed her. She was such a cute little thing. Spock had made a mess of her and it took two rinses to clean her of his...ugh she rather not think of it.

Once she was clear of spunk and debris, Amanda wrapped her in a light gown and called Sarek back to retrieve her. He took her bashfully into her arms which for a Vulcan meant he held her at a distance.

" Go tuck this little dove in and listen out for Spock. He'll still need to wash so that will give her some time to eat and drink."

" I will care for them both." He assured her glancing down at Nyota as she attempted to snuggle against him. Amanda snorted as he flushed green and quickly moved to set her down in the guest quarters. Oh, she liked this girl.

Nyota turned and sat up with a start. She was back in her parents house. And she was clean.

She knew that for certain because last she could remember Spock had taken her in the small spring when she had last tried to wash herself and then again on the bank. By the end of their coupling her husband had replaced her skin with the leaves, petals and semen that she had rid herself of earlier. But it had been so worth it to get dirty again.

She smiled to herself as she surveyed the room and then froze in place.

There no more than five feet away was father in law. He sat quietly on a platform with his legs folded beneath him. An odd looking lamp was set before him with its flame dancing in the draft. His hands were clasped together with half of his fingers steepled up towards his chin. His inner eyelids were sealed shut but she saw the dark pupils roll to the side to regard her.

At her startled gasp he blinked both sets of lids and observed her from the corner of his eye. "My apologies."

Nyota shook her head timidly used the sheet to shield herself. " No no it's alright. I just wasn't expecting to see you."

He looked back over towards the lamp and tamped out the flame with a ornate looking spoon. "Logical. My wife is attending to chores while your husband, my son, sleeps."

" Why am I not sleeping with him?"

He tilted his head to the side and eyed her neutrally. " My dear, if you were with Spock neither of you would be sleeping."

She swallowed and looked away suddenly flustered. She couldn't argue that logic nor would she try.

He straightened up and Nyota felt the awkward tension in the room ease. " I am here merely to supervise your health and liquid intake. You must stay hydrated."

Nyota nibbled her lips nervously as his legs unfolded beneath his robe and brought the Vulcan up to his full height. Nyota tilted her head up to watch him cross to the low black table at the center of the room. In three, even steps he bowed, bent and sat with his legs under him once again. The longs sleeves and sides of his robes billowed out around him like the dark plumage of an ostrich. He was regal.

Sarek retrieved a teapot setting in the middle and began to pour each of them a cup. " My son tells me you favor malasa. I hope that this bouquet will be amenable."

He was fascinating to watch. Each move was as concise as it was fluid, even as he gestured for her to join him at the table. Looking down she found herself wrapped in a new _lubega_ ( Maasai dress) that was not one of her own. She peeled the sheets away to study it more when his voice answered her question. " My Amanda helped to bathe and dress you. I placed you here where Spock can not readily smell you, for reasons I am sure you know."

She cleared her throat and nodded. Heavens that was embarrassing to hear...probably also for Sarek to say but she was grateful for his honesty. Her new parents cared for her like blood and for that she could deal with any awkwardness the new dynamic presented.

Nyota stretched and made a noise of relief. Her back popped like cracked nutshell and her muscles while sore became loose.

For the first time in a long she had slept soundly. Any time Spock had come near after their time in the garden he could not seem to help himself. Even with the ointments and rest, her channel ached and her body was covered in bite marks.

Sarek gestured again as she toed off of the bed. " There is a robe there."

She glanced over and went towards a thick, verdant cloth hanging loosely from a horn hook. She happily retrieved and slipped it on. The material is soft and heavy but surprisingly airy. The dark green surface was laced with golden thread sewn into the shapes runes and stars. As she fastened the wide copper belt Nyota traced the outlines of the scrolling script with her fingers. Everything from the color set to the patterns felt so foreign.

Sarek studied her, preening over the garment and gave a slight nod of his head. " That is your clan name now. S'chn T'gai."

" I know this script." She said staring at it. " I will never forget seeing it in front of my family's home."

Sarek lifted his cup to his mouth and silently sipped the liquid. His angular face was clear of whatever he thought of her statement as his full brow stayed firmly in place. Compared to his father Spock was nearly an open book. " The robe is yours to wear." He said finally breaking his silence.

" I can't keep taking Amanda's things. I have my own clothes that I can wear." Nyota professed. She felt like a burden taking on so many things all at once. Maybe Vulcans dealt with change better?

She excused herself as she sat down at the table still reeling over their generosity. Had she married a Bantu man she could have had a few things given to her by her in laws but not much. With a Maasai marriage it would have been even less. Out on the mara where you were another mouth to feed, there were not so many things one was free to give. They would have been looking at her to produce a baby. Nyota started to take the cup when she recoiled from the heat. " Oww!"

Sarek slowly swallowed at his tea and reset the cup onto its coaster. He was not at all affected by the temperature or the cup or its contents. " The water is still near boiling. You should wait a few moments before attempting to imbibe it. As for the robe it was never Amanda's."

" What? But it's so nice?"

Sarek poured himself another cup of tea and turned his attention back to her face. Nyota had a hard time holding his gaze. Intense did not begin to describe it. " It was commissioned for my son's intended mate. It is now yours in effect."

" Uh...I, thank you, father."

Sarek gave a single, elegant shake of his head and held up his hand in protest. " It is our gift to you. You wearing the garment is appreciation enough, daughter."

They fell silent then as Nyota once again tried to sip her tea. It nearly sears the roof of her mouth but the heat of it is welcome as it opens up the tightness in her chest. She sighed and took another sip while Sarek neatly polished his off. She was still sipping at the tea when he retrieved a small plate of food lying beside the table.

" Eat. Please." He commanded gently. He didn't need to though. At the sight of the rice and lentils Nyota's hunger clawed at her belly. She picked up the spoon and went to work devouring the bowl in front of her.

After a few mouthfuls Sarek seemed satisfied with her progress and recovered a slender rectangle made out of the same material that Spock used for his Vulcan technology. Nyota swallowed at her rice and pointed towards the device in his hands. " What is it?"

Sarek replied not looking up from his work of poking and prodding the shape. " _Raf'ar'kada-r'mna'sek_."

" Whoa ok...umm electronic...book?"

" Precisely." He turned the gray tablet towards her so she could view the screen. An array of colors were displayed on a black background, some in the shape of blocks others in the swirling lines of their language.

Sarek watched as her eyes scanned over the writing without a hint of evince. He didn't seem guarded but he was frustratingly hard to read.

" What do you use this 'electronic book' for?"

" I keep a journal. I log down my days for those who would later wish to recount them."

Thoughts of how Spock said their crew had been marooned here on her world resurfaced and made her pity him. He missed his home but unlike her, Sarek was likely never to see it again. She couldn't imagine being on a different planet let alone being stuck on one. Sadly it was the first thing she thought they had in common. " That is...very interesting. Could you teach me to do so as well?"

Sarek twisted his neck in a serpentine fashion and watched her with open interest. " You wish to record your days?"

Nyota nodded and palmed her tea. " I want to learn how to use all of your technology. Spock has been teaching me and we have found the lessons to be really enjoyable."

Sarek almost smiled at her, almost. She couldn't be sure. The seam of his mouth stretched out to the sides instead of up but she thought he was amused. " You will have to learn our written language and everything therein."

" Spock has been teaching me that too." She replied. Dipping her finger into her tea she neatly used the liquid to scroll a word.

The time Sarek did smile and Nyota held her breath. Though it was small and only for a moment, she was caught off guard by how handsome ( and like Spock) he looked.

" 'Tea.' Very well I will teach you." Pulling a napkin from his sleeve he blithely wiped away the moisture. " For the time being I will excuse you to your meal. I have yet to complete my entry."

" Yes, sir."

" Father is also an acceptable address."

" Yes, father."

He didn't smile again but she watched as his posture relaxed fractionally as he returned to the tablet.

She had nearly finished her meal when Spock appeared in the doorway. Sarek rose immediately and bowed his head. " Thank you for your affable company daughter. I will retire to my study."

He turned towards the doorway and Spock gave a nod of his head in deference. " Father."

" Spock."Sarek replied coolly. Gone was the warmer engaging Vulcan she had dined near earlier and in his place was the aloof, statue like figure. The difference was chilling but what had brought it on?

Spock stepped out of the doorway and into the room as Sarek glided silently towards it. Right before he crossed the threshold he spoke to Spock over his shoulder. " Your little bird is an exceptional catch. You chose wisely."

" Thank you, father," Spock said quickly with another nod. Sarek left without another word.

Sarek was down the hall when Nyota felt the air return to the room. " Spock. What was that about?"

Spock came to her and sat beside her. Even with his robe hiding some of his movements it was clear that his gait was smoother and less burdened. With another glance towards the doorway Spock dipped his head down towards her neck and ran his nose across her skin. " My father knows that with my time comes feelings of possession. It is...difficult for me to share you."

" But he's your father?"

Spock narrowed his eyes and flushed with embarrassment. " He is another _male_. I have never heard him once compliment a female that was not my mother and he did so for you and very highly at that."

Nyota touched his head and he leaned into her palm with a growly huff. " It is not logical, but I am jealous. I want him to favor my choice of bondmate but seeing and hearing him do so as I am right now...it makes me…"

His hand grabbed hers and she gasped sharply at his touch. The possessiveness of his handhold was nothing compared to the tenebrous feeling behind it. Something inside him, a vague and shapeless ache craved her all to himself. There was a pointed pulling at her fingers that extended out to her body. The sensation grew stronger as he held her and twisted his fingers against her. She felt like she might slip inside him by way of his hand. " Spock...stop."

At once the suction ceased and the darkness evaporated into nothing. He slunk to the side, further embarrassed by her distaste and fearfulness. " My apologies."

Nyota placed her hand on his clothed knee and smiled. " I understand that you feel this way from your lingering plak-tow but you should know you have nothing to worry about. No need to be jealous."

He met her gaze and the dark, ominous possession there once again. " Show me."

Xxxxxxxxxx

Sarek had just entered the living room when he heard Nyota gasp and whimper in the room behind him.

Spock no doubt had taken offense to his compliment. Jealousy was not so easy an emotion to suppress. And with his lingering plak-tow it would be near impossible to disregard. From the sounds she was making he had no doubt slipped into her mind. He hoped that he was gentle with his new daughter.

He went to the raised cushion near the window and looked out at the sliver of sky he could see from over the rim of the crater. He enjoyed viewing the sunset. Only during the rise and fall of Terra's star did her sky resemble Vulcan's ruddy citrine atmosphere.

He pulled his PADD journal from his sleeve's pocket and reviewed his notes. Someone had been hasty.

For many years now he had seen the other high families clamoring for dominance as to who would head the compound. Sarek's father Skon, being a direct descendant of Surak, had the most weight when it came to nobility. And with his father's passing Sarek had his mother's influential heritage to stay his hand as lead elder on the council.

His father had warned him of the families' greedy eyes and sense of entitlement. He had driven it to the point that when he had passed in his sleep, Sarek had pondered if he had been murdered. The tablet whirled to life at the touch of his hand and he scrolled back down to the clan of K'Goah.

There Sarek skimmed the list of names and circled T'izh. There were few K'Goah's that he trusted but he knew the pale, green eyed Vulcaness to be free of her parent's taint. The albino female might have been a good pairing for his son, as shy and gracious as she was, but her father's contempt for Sarek's clan had made their pairing non-viable.

He sighed and went to the next and put a mark near Stonn's name and a symbol of query near his parents. His people had been templars and imperial knights but there was not much guarding for either to be done here. Sarek was a male of logic, rarely swayed by emotion but something within his _ka'tra_ stirred with certainty that the male was somehow involved.

He and Spock had been rivals since childhood. There was no love lost between them but as they had been betrothed Sarek had considered that the tension between them had diminished.

But then Spock brought Nyota to the compound.

Lush, ripe and comely to the eye, it was plain for Sarek to reason that Stonn had been struck with envy. Seeing Sarek's new, empty-bellied daughter so clearly smitten with his son, Stonn had been moved to commit a crime of passion but Sarek's question was had he acted alone. Yes, Stonn would have no doubt kept Nyota hidden away for the occasional tupping but where did that leave his wife?

Scrolling further Sarek highlighted the clan of _Yonulsu_. The Vulcans of flesh. T'Pring's had been a family that in ancient times proceeded over the holy but debauched rites for the _Rumaire_ (pagan fertility) festival. Under their watch, bare bodied Vulcans had paraded around the Golian temple guzzling wine and slathering on grease in hopes of revelation.

In honor of T'Priah ( goddess of fertility), _ho-rah_ (tributes) were paid in the form of forced _pon-farrs_ in exchange for her blessing of enhanced fertility. The rites for Ny'one (god of fertility) were no less vulgar as the priests of the temple compelled their followers into drunken orgies with the trained temple harems.

In those days before their enlightenment such forms of worship were commonplace and used to put the masses under the Yonulsu and other high clans' sway. Recalling their history, Sarek knew T'Pring's family had enjoyed their prestige. Their greed was not obscene for the time but their morals had always been lacking.

Auctions for pleasure bondmates whether willing or captive often held on their grounds were just one of the recorded sins. Sarek knew though that the high clans had written history and theirs was a version that painted them lightly. There were things he knew that one did not speak of, sins that were worse than his own.

Sarek's jaw clicked as his canines slid across each other. While they had been decades without their mother planet, their nature and history had clung to their spirits for better or for worse. What could have been an opportunity to further evolve had turned into the same insipid plots to undo each other.

If the high clans on the mara wanted to tease and taunt each other that was their prerogative, but with one or some of them drawing first blood against his family he would see to it that he would draw the last drop. The other houses had overseen fertility, hunting, the harvest and the arts. His sire's and his dame's houses had kept the tenants of death and enlightenment. Whoever had crossed him would be met with both.

He hadn't always been a prospective ambassador to the new worlds. He had been trained up in a diplomacy that was far more sinister.

" I take it they're not going to the temple?"

Sarek blinked up from the PADD and felt his anger vanish. Amanda. If only she knew how much sway she held over him...she was…

When words failed him Sarek inclined his head. " I would postulate the same. It seems that by acknowledging our daughter's accolade's our son has taken grave offense. He takes her now to soothe his jealousy and calm his fever."

" Poor Nyota," she sighed as she sat beside him. Leaning against the table she angled her face to see him. She was ravishing.

" Indeed. I would be in your debt if you attended to them both after they have ceased mating. She is freshly opened and no doubt sore while our son needs to increase his liquid intake. I would not desire to further exacerbate his plak-tow."

" He's still ill?"

He tucked the PADD back into his sleeve and placed his hands into his lap. He wanted to touch her. " Yes. It is as T'Kaas said, because of Spock's delay to alleviate his rut it lingers over him like a foul wind. He shall be rid of the fever in a week's time and fully recovered in a terran solar month."

Amanda nodded and leaned against him. He closed his eyes and swallowed roughly. How wonderful her presence was. Beloved.

" Thank you for watching over the kids when I was out at the market."

" It was an enlightening time with kofu. She is quite keen. She demonstrates an affinity for languages both written and verbal."

Amanda nodded and saddled closer. The scent of soap, honey and spices from the market breezed across his nose. He wished to smell the scent of her instead.

" She's also as sweet and cute as a button."

" As you sa," he agreed, glancing down towards her. Her hands were busy plucking the silk buttons free from their fastenings and pulling loose his sash. He exhaled deeply and allowed her to undress him.

She was not his to touch, not without express permission. It was a deal that had been struck between them to help their trust and intimacy and Sarek, for his many failings, was a male of his word.

She tilted her face and kissed along his jaw, sending him into a full throated purr. Only with her, only in their solitude did he allow such exposure of himself, but then again he had never experienced such affection for another being.

As a son of the vai (holy) order of Reah (goddess of death, the underworld and bereavement), he had been groomed against such notions as _ashau_. Such emotions were to be suppressed with the utmost haste and never pondered upon less they make you weak.

His first bonding to T'Rea would have no doubt suffered under such strains but she was also a part of the order in the form of a priestess and undertaker. Theirs was a practical marriage, the epitome of logical pairing but he was left wanting.

Their safu Sybok had been the highlight of their mating but even he did not embrace Sarek. He wanted emotion and ashaya but it was not their way. So as his son took on more feeling so did he too take on more loathing towards his father's emotional repression.

But Amanda, his charmed creature with such beauty and depth, had arrested him. In the days he had reckoned himself to a logical death, he came across her in Kisii. She was bathing with the women in a small watering hole with her mouth full of laughter. In the heat of the mara her joints were flushed as pink as her nipples and her hair hung in thick, umber tresses.

He felt his body stir in such a way that he knew that he could not leave her be. Guilt harried him as he made off with her, bound her mind and infected her with his pon farr. It had not been intentional but there had been no healer and as a full blooded male he was more capable than the hybrids of influencing one's mind.

The infection had made her want him, even in her terror. Pleasure had been shared between them, no touch was forbidden. In their lust filled craze they spent days exploring everything there was in the other. Minds, bodies and souls had been laid bare and infused with understanding.

And her mind! What a wonderfully, beautiful mind Amanda had. Soft but brilliant, its splendor had no boundaries in Sarek's adoration. Even when their bodies had parted he stayed melded inside her, making her tremble with just a tug of her psi points. He had experienced three pon farrs before her but none could compare to the rapture that was their first together. Never had he felt so alive, so invigorated but his enjoyment was to be short lived.

When the fever had passed and she had woken up to her body covered in bites and filled with his seed, Amanda had broken.

What they shared had been awe-inspiring and euphoric, but Sarek had stolen her will when he had passed his pon farr onto her. He searched her teary face unable to comprehend what he had done until it was too late to take any of it back.

It had been cruel that his first time in experiencing love he had not been of sound mind. His body acted on his engulfment and sought to make Amanda his in the most primal sense. Pon farr had spurred his mind onto hers and his body into pleasing all of her against her will. It was a heinous crime in his homeworld and one for which he would never forgive himself. He had sullied her, his only love.

He would never tell a soul because it was illogical but he felt himself cursed. In his times of weakness, where he thought it best to pass on from his corporal form onto death, he would give devotions to Reah that he could live to see his Amanda restored to her glory. If she were to ever forgive him it would be too much.

And in her own way, despite no logical explanation, Amanda had stayed with him. Of course she had tried to leave him, gone off on her own in search of her people but she could not find them. Nor could she stand being parted from his side.

Something had happened in their pon farr, something Sarek could not decipher. Their bond was born of his transgressions but in that darkness both of them had seen something etherally beautiful. Having known she could not leave him and seeing his dedication to not live without her, she stayed.

And both had found ways to heal.

Amanda pulled the high collar free of his neck and ran her tongue along his throat. His eyes closed and reveled in the wet touch of it.

" Sarek, carry me to the bedroom." She sighed. She tipped her mouth up to his ear and held the pinna between her teeth.

His purr morphed into a growl but he only moved as she bid him. As light as a lamb, he cradled his wife against his chest and walked her to their room. Her mouth was cool and insistent and her hands were just as eager but not nearly enough to soothe the ache in his loins. More than her body he craved her mind but he would take whatever she would give him.

At the foot of the bed, he placed her gently on the pallet and awaited his mate. She hurried off her clothes, stripping her tunic and skirt with ungraceful jerks. She looked up at him as she peeled off her unmentionables and blushed beautifully as they fell. She was adorable.

Extending a hand she beckoned him forward and Sarek came over her like a warm wave. She curled into him, welcoming each touch with affirmation and barely suppressed glee.

She held up a hand and he stilled immediately.

Twisting her fingers into his hair Amanda gazed up at him with bright, hopeful eyes. Enchantress. " Earlier this morning you were trying to endear yourself to me."

" As always," he hummed.

" Well then, by all means, endear."

So he stood up, loosened his trousers and endeared himself to her until she could no longer bear it, because he was a male of his word.

A/N: Someone asked me on a03 about my inspiration and detail over Spock's ehem anatomy. After thinking to myself hey he's an alien, like in stories like Under Lok and Key and Swimsuit season I looked up products on Bad Dragon ( soooo NSFW) and chose a cross between Bumblehooves and tucker for the hybrid loks and a fusion of tyson and roland for the full blooded Vulcan loks.

I'll be updating chapter 18 typos soon and I'm working on chapter 20 now. thank you for all the reviews. LOL about Ston looking like a flitter with all the doors open LMAO! And yes he is salty as hell.


	20. Chapter 20: Leave the garden

A/N: This two chapters were too large for me to post in free of guilt so I'm breaking them down. Thanks to my betas for helping to read and help me draw the line. Sorry for the long wait.

Spock laid on his side watching her rest. Nyota was still sleeping where she had collapsed the night before, sleeping to the far right of him along the edge of the pallet.

It was hard for him to understand the hold she held over him, knowing anything within reason he would grant her. The affection he felt towards his mate was painful if he focused on it for too long.

His stomach knotted as he traced the faded henna lining her limbs. Spock recalled when it had been freshly pasted on her skin, the red almost neon against her skin as she stood bare before him. She had been so lovely in the glen, willing but nervous. The latter had excited him as he felt it simmering beneath his hand but then the Maasai had come to hunt him.

Memories of that morning were still largely ambiguous. Haze flashes of angry faces, distant sounds of clubs and spears drumming against his body and the raspy death rattles of those men wielding them were scattered through his mind and like spilled, wet grain he was unable to grasp as its sticky texture kept it stuck to ground.

The only memory that was poignantly clear was his ka'tra's time in possession of Nyota. The safe harbor he found inside her was more than he could have anticipated as he sank himself in what he felt to be her essence.

As distraught as he had been no one, least of all him, had been prepared for the strength of Nyota's mourning him. His mate had thought him dead and from what little she could feel of him inside her she clung to and fought for.

Her uncompromising devotion had touched that of his own, moving the dark, churning possession he felt for her into something brighter. That Vulcan need to remind her of his claim had been temporarily abated by Nyota's vocal and physical claim of him.

Free of his guilt of ravaging her as he had with Pon Farr he could enjoy her as he intended with new vision. A moment like this where he could wake up beside her would have been lost or perhaps even more depressing unappreciated as mundane if their coupling had past uninterrupted.

A feeling higher of contentment but deeper than happiness churned inside him. Spock rubbed at the ache it cause in his side but did not move to define or suppress it. What is is, and the feeling was not without its amenity.

He reached out a hand to pull her closer and came up short as Nyota shifted in her sleep onto her stomach. He rose slowly up onto his elbows and took in the new view her rolling over afforded him.

The hem of her new nightshift rode up along her legs tempting him by keeping her appearance largely modest. He knew what lay beneath however and the temptation to draw her into his arms . He reached for her again only to find his fingers grazing the fabric at her waist as she rolled away again.

Spock tilted his head and observed the rise and fall of her chest. Even but shallow. He narrowed his eyes, crawling closer to where she lay with the slightest upward tilt to the corners of his mouth. " You feign, I know you are not slumbering."

Her chest held its place mid-breath. He paused waiting for her to rise up and face him. After a few seconds Nyota did lift up. With an impish smile she winked and took off towards the door. A mischievous giggle floated down the hallway to the beat of her running feet. " Can't catch me!"

Spock sat dumbstruck until he heard her laughter grow dimmer. She was inviting him to play. He never was one for such recreation as _Kum-tor_ or _Fon-ta-nel_ , too pretentious and bookish his mother had teased him but with Nyota he believed that his attitude towards such activities might come into revision.

Spock stood stretching himself languidly allowing himself a content hum as he felt the stiffness leave his joints. He would give her a gracious head start he thought as he shed the thin tunic around his torso and tightened the fastening at his waist. Stepping onto the cold rock of the floor Spock sprinted off to prove he could indeed 'catch' Nyota.

Entering the hallway she was nowhere to be seen. She was surprisingly fast as he padded around the house. She was quiet wherever she was but thankfully the sweet smell of her skin gave her direction away.

He sped through the dining room where Sarek slowly peered up from his reading, met his eye in a near glower before looking back down. He clearly did not appreciate the disruption but not enough to voice it.

Spock did not concern himself with his father's truculent disposition and dismissed him with a glance towards the front of the house. He was after that little, devious charlatan and not a cantankerous male. He stopped and doubled back at the foyer, angling his head to listen more closely.

The sound of the mara in the morning rang out from the outside masking much of the mundane noises of the household. Straining Spock listened for something out of place or out of sync with the rest of the din.

Nothing. He pursed his lips in confusion and looked towards the door. Where could she have gone? Hopefully not out in the village. Her shift was far from suitable outdoor wear. A tittering giggle tickled his ear drawing his eyes over to the right where Nyota stood framed by the window laughing at him from in the garden. " All that rutting has turned your head to mush, Spock. You couldn't catch me if you tired."

She dashed away from view when he jolted towards the garden entrance, crashing through the manicured brush like a frightened _Bunyoro_ (1). And just like the fleet footed quadruped Nyota swerved and pivoted slowing down his advance as he corrected his direction.

The grassy smell of crushed leaves filled the air as she tromped through the bush, ducking and dodging in a spirit he found amusing as it was admirable. She was not making it easy for him and for that he would treat her as an equal. He ran at his full strength, stretching his legs and leaning his weight forward as he came bearing down on her.

Nyota seemed to sense his approach and did an abrupt about face, causing him to skid to a stop so as not to crash into her. She shot him a gloaty smile as she cantered around his sliding form and went back towards the door.

He huffed and dug his hands into the ground effectively stopping his backslide and launched himself forward, barrelling towards her with his speed redoubled. Again when she was nearly in his grasp she countered and his hands again came up empty as he zipped past her turning form.

He snarled as he dug his toes into the ground using his weight to swing himself back into her direction. He had no idea she was such a clever runner, where he had thought that chasing her would be no sport at all Nyota had evaded him with an ease that baffled him.

The urge to capture her triggered something inside him to calculate his best odds of success. While he was indeed much faster she was quite proficient in dodging him as he slowed to grab her. He continue to run behind her continuing to mentally list off his advantages.

He knew the garden much more intimately than Nyota did and he could herd her into a spot where capturing her would become more successful. He could also use his speed to run past her and cut her off. There was also the fact that he was much more motivated in winning their game now.

With a quick breath Spock launched himself into the air and kicked off a nearby tree, soaring in the air towards the next one. The trunk shuddered from the hit, jarring its loose leaves down onto the ground in a flurry of green. Nyota pivoted with a squeal as she saw him drop down in front of her with huff of self-indulgent glee. She cursed when she turned towards what would have led her into the corner of the garden and turned again.

She scampered back but it was over in a matter of seconds as she locked his arms around her. They fell to the ground, Nyota on top of him, trying fruitlessly to get away. He let her struggle for a time before flipping her over with a proud hum. " It would appear that I can in fact catch you if I tried."

She made a long grunt of indignation as he nuzzled her with a heady wave of victory. " You are such a spoiled brat, Spock! I felt you not wanting to play and trying to take it easy on me early on and as soon as you found I was besting you, you got all pouty that you weren't getting your way! Haha stop that!"

Nyota pushed at his shoulders as he snuffled about her neck and shoulders before placing a ticklish set of licks near the back of her neck. The effervescent sensation bubbled over through their bond and made Spock equally titillate that he almost smiled. " Be more specific to which action you desire me to stop. My tickling you or being a spoiled brat."

" I don't believe you to be able or mature enough to stop the latter. Hehehe! Oh my goodness, stop it you jackal!" she giggled now near tears.

Spock nibbled lightly behind her ear as she feverishly tried to push him away. " I do not believe I will. You have wounded my feelings."

" You mean your big, fat ego? HA! Spock stop it, I'm going to pee myself! I can't breath, oh my goodness!" she cried out. The last laugh he elicited from her lips resembled the call of a small mammalian creature. It was immensely satisfying.

" I heard nothing by way of an apology for your grave offense to your bondmate. I am ailing and you only think of yourself..."

" You are SUCH a brat!" she snorted while beating at his chest. " Turn me loose!"

He laid down beside her, pinning her to the ground with the arm and leg he threw over her body. " Why?"

Nyota sighed heavily and turned towards his face. She was still smiling." Because I asked you kindly."

He scoffed mildly as he used his fingers to pull at flimsy strap of her nightgown. " Not nearly kind enough. Your last sentence was a statement not a request. It was also absent of the words 'please' and 'may I'."

Nyota groaned into the air and batted at his pesky fingers as they drew down the material covering her breast. " Ugh! Fine! Please, may I be turned loose?"

He waited a beat as if considering her request before shifting his limbs from her body. Nyota beamed at him before gasping as he placed a palm on her belly. " Your request to be freed is denied. You have still yet to issue an apology."

" What!" she shouted. She struggled to regain her upright position but he held her firmly in place against the soft earth.

" Since you refuse to recompense me of your slander, I will gain my own restitution."

" I cannot believe you!" she growled in mock offense. She pushed his face away from her neck only to squeal as he bit her hand. " Spock!"

" I am entitled to defend my person. You were gesticulating in an aggressive manner. I reacted reflexively."

" Sure you did." she giggled. Her gaze was heavy-lidded and dilated as she looked up at him. He was now curious as to its nature.

Spock quickly climbed over her legs, straddling her waist and took a hold of her hands, lacing their fingers together with the palms pressed together. Their thoughts combined to come into a startling focus and with it their emotions.

Nyota was aroused by their run, proud of how long she had eluded him and amused from their playful banter. Their eyes met again and lingered, laboring hard to read the emotions they felt between their bond.

Her brow pinched together after a moment and Spock quickly prodded their link to inquire about her distress. Her eyes darted around his face and he knew then what his mate's concern was. His face had remained blank, neither hot or cold. The look of indifference had spurred her reaction to run, to taunt him into scowling or smiling but when neither came Nyota grew anxious. What was he thinking? Was he displeased by her playfulness? Was she not worthy enough of a sport to chase?

Biting at her lip Nyota looked up at his face with equal parts lust and nervousness that he knew from her touch was caused by her uncertainty. It was disconcerting for both of them and he sought to rectify it.

Spock loomed above her, panting from his open mouth as he worried over how to best to show her his affection. Braced as they were Spock was reminded of seven summers past when he had first claimed her. First by bond followed by a kiss. In that time the hold from each had soothed and aroused her. Perhaps recreating the scene would lead to the same pleasurable results?

So with the bond strung tight between them Spock lowered his mouth down and replayed the kiss in full. Nyota arched against his hold, struggling to draw closer as the slow, sensual caper of his tongue raked her body with a shiver. He did not need grins, smirks or star struck eyes to woo her, his tongue and lips were doing the job for him.

He watched her as his mouth stole away with hers. He was waiting on Nyota to gaze up at him so he could see for himself that she understood what the kiss meant. He had taken the memory of that night but not the feelings that had past between them. He hoped to awaken them again, rekindling that passion that had flared between them when he was still young but sound of mind.

He cupped her face, thumbing across her cheeks and sighed at her hands went to his shoulders. After a time a dizzy, light headedness swept through her and Spock reluctantly broke away. She drew deeply at the air with a stuttering sigh. Her face was flush are her lips were slightly swollen from the prolong motion of their mouths groping against each other.

" _Ashayam. T' ashayam."_ he crooned thumbing the plump, pink softness of her mouth. Such endearments were not illogical in their expression when the facts were not known by the other in question. He called her beautiful because she was, his beautiful one because she was and said so aloud with a caress so she knew the conviction he felt with his words.

After all she was wonderfully, mind-numbingly and magnificently beautiful to him.

Nyota shuddered as he claimed her lips again and pushed slowly at the hem of her gown, groaning into her mouth as his palm felt the soft satin of her belly. Not for a moment did he want her to doubt his deep affinity for her. The weight of it shook him when his hand left her dress and embraced her mind. There she was, warm, vibrant and human, so intricate and pliable, a mass of powerful contradictions.

Nyota was making pleading noises against his lips as he swept through her mind and dragged her towards him. So lovely he thought wallowing in the synaptic hollows, so very tender. They groaned in unison as the touch of the meld induced a weightless like quality. They were grounded physically but their minds were floating, aloft in the affection and lust of the other as the bond between them merged them together. He felt her question the reaction between them both even as she spoke.

" Spock. What is it?"

Nyota's voice sounded distant even as he hovered above her face. She had broken the kiss to speak and he seized her mouth again and spoke within their minds.

/ _Our bond._ / He took her mind and with soft guidance let her strum and play along its edges, feeling the difference when she held it tightly or slack, pulled away or sunk inside it. She tried to define it more within her mind but was frustrated by her limitations.

Humans had no such thing as this, they were not psionic people. Love and affection was exchanged by words and tactile touches, not mental ones but here with her Vulcan husband she was able to hold his mind as one held a bowl, with definite surfaces, size and volume.

He curled around her thought of defining it briefly before offering her a definition of his own. Nyota examined his memory and others long bonded before them and the connection each mate had with his or her own. It was precious in its unique ability, guarded jealousy between the two especially the Vulcan half who needed the bond as much as their humans needed hugs and kisses. It made them whole while still being individual halves, one, fearfully made construction of two different beings.

Nyota physically rolled against him and Spock pulled them both back away towards their actively conscious mind. No words were needed as he pulled himself free and aligned his lok at her entrance. Throwing her legs around his waist he recaptured her mouth and gently pushed himself inside.

Nyota gripped his hand tightly, sputtering and gasping against his mouth as he worked his way slowly inside her. Back and forth, in and out, Spock rolled his hips until he was mostly fitted inside her. His mate thrashed against the sensation of fullness, an action that caused his chest to rumble and his hair to raise up on end.

The end of his pon farr had left him rational but flushed with hormones. Not that he wouldn't see to mating with her when the mood struck him but he was at his second onset of puberty, one that would prepare him for successfully rearing and protecting his offspring. In a few months Spock would be taller, stronger and at the start of his prime, no longer an mature teen by Vulcan standards but a new young adult. With all the all the extra testosterone his drive was up as well. To have his Nyota to please him instead of his hand was not only fortuitous but much preferred.

He left her lips to nip and mouth along her jaw and throat, with one hand at her hip and the other still in possession of one of her own. She swallowed roughly at the air, whispering out in an airy voice for him to not stop. She was speaking in her native tongues but the meaning behind them was made clear with the hold of her hand. She loved the crush of him on top of her, the way he soothed the fitfullness that sometimes seized her when she studied his bare torso or the heat that he infused her with when he watched her in turn. He made her wild, reckless and uninhibited, free of the doubt that repressed her when they first met.

The boldness Nyota touted in the garden when she went to reclaim him had tamped down her shyness. She wanted him and wanted 'them' so she fought for him as the other females had urged her to.

Now with the bond firmly in place and him so adamant Nyota found herself struck with bashfulness again. She couldn't help her moaning, was unable to stop her trembling and the neediness she demonstrated every time they joined their bodies was beyond repression.

Spock slid his hand across her throat tilting her head up for another kiss which sent her shivering once again. Butting his head against hers Spock assured her lack of control was not at all a problem. If anything he was amused by it. It was enduring to see his little warrior go from demure to unrestrained when taken in hand.

He was gaining speed now, bobbing his hips up and down between her thighs as his lok stretched and filled her over and over, with every hungry thrust. He panted into her hair, huffing out a breath each time her soft, wet sex took him into its warm embrace. Her scent was all around him, tickling his nose, unraveling his mind and driving him to take her faster and harder. She arched against him again, with a warbling cry as he dug himself deeper into the cradle of her hips.

Spock faltered and groaned above her. How could she ever doubt her prowess, when such a small sound and motion to nearly drive him mad? Spock swooned slightly and exhaled with a reverberating sound that made his mate shudder.

Having marked her with his scent her he wanted to mark her with his teeth but where? As Spock studied her he felt her mutual agreement of having him do so with a heady little shiver down his spine. The notion, once loathed now thrilled her and she eagerly moved her head to side to give his mouth clearance. Spock purred at the gesture, rubbing his face against the skin there while gently nipping at her jaw. _His_ he pushed at her mind with each bite and thrust. _His and no other_.

 _Mine_ she countered turning her face, biting him soundly on the lip. Spock hissed and slammed against her, losing all sense of propriety. At the sting of her teeth Spock was hit with a stumbling sense of vertigo, making him falter once more before regaining his composure. Nyota marked him. He closed his eyes and swallowed against the dizzying ecstasy her teeth had elicited. So pleasant and so very needed.

The purr that had tapered off earlier resumed with a roar as he rubbed his face against hers, crooning and trilling as he pawed at her waist. Moving her head with his own he dipped his mouth down at her shoulder and bit her into he felt the skin snap under the point of his teeth. Warm tears ran down into his hair as she choked and sobbed at the pain.

Spock hummed with repentance, laving at her wound at the warm, salty tears that spilled from her eyes. He wished that she felt the same pleasure that he felt from her bite and not the sharp, jagged pain that her human body translated it as. He did not enjoy causing her pain. To him the burns and stings were arousing but he was learning for his mate that he should curb his enthusiasm. " _Pi'lara, ni'droi'ik nar-tor._ (Little bird, I'm sorry)."

He had wanted her mark so badly without ever knowing it and now with its possession he rolled himself against her humbled and even more aroused. She caught his head between her hands, tickling his ears with her fingers as she stared up at him. The apology it seemed was unnecessary but appreciated. He had certainly bitten her enough times before that she was unperturbed by having a new one. She bought his face down alongside his and whispered into his ear. " Mine?"

" _Ha, t'du, t'du._ ( Yes, yours, yours.)" he chanted against her cheek. If physically able he might have cried from her actions but as that was unavailable for him Spock settled for worshipping her body instead.

He crushed her inside his arms and resumed bucking against her, humming as he felt a warm wet puddle gathering on the thirsty soil below her bottom. Her breath caught in her throat as the beginnings of that feeling that made her shiver uncontrollably returned to her womb. The small flame that he sparked in her sex was rekindled and grew with every pumping thrust. At the first hint of it Spock encouraged her to chase it, pushed her towards mentally even as his body dragged hers towards it physically.

She arched and moaned into the push of his hips, clawing at his arms as he withdrew. " Please, more."

" More of what exactly?"

She made a pinched her mouth up as she fought to describe what she needed. " Make love to me." she offered in a voice that was none too sure of what she needed.

He obliged and Nyota again was rewarded with that quavering tingle that ran from her sex to right below her navel. Her quim flooded around him, welcoming his return as he picked up a rhythm that was neither sweet nor demanding. It was for solely for her, as she set its speed and force with a single command from her lips. After a few generous strokes she growled in frustration.

What she was questing for was still out of reach, that breath stealing, paralyzing peak that seized her like a thief. She had found it more than once with Spock in his plak tow but she feared the feeling might be contingent to his fever. Would she never get that dizzying high again?

" Spock, help…I don't know how," she whined. He blinked at her darkly searching her eyes as he shifted and tried a different angle. Still holding her gaze, he withdrew and glided back triggering a plaintive cry from her lips.

 _Yes! Yes! Yes!_ There she thought as she gulped at the air. There in that stroke was the silky glide of his lok inside her highlighting each and every ridge and ring with a delicious bite of friction.

At her cry Spock spurred on, holding her close in the embrace of his arms as he ravaged her. It was overwhelming and just what she wanted. Her face burned furiously at their boldness on making love in the open air of his parent's garden once again and passion in which they commenced the act.

Even now as she mewled and clawed at the damp earth under her body, sex was all still so new to her. That plucking thump as his medial ring popped free on his withdrawal, the mind numbing pop as it sunk back in were all heady sensations that she was trying to understand. He did not begrudge her the feeling of confusion, he often times felt so himself but he had come to the conclusion that sex was more of an experience to be felt rather than bound by words and meaning. It didn't need words because it was a form of communication in itself, expressing adoration, dominance and belonging.

He shifted again and dug his fingers into her skin, soaking her with the notion. He adored her, claimed her and she belonged to him. " Yours."

Nyota threw her head back with a very telling keen. She felt her body fall in on itself and tighten as he continued to impale her. He looked down as Nyota shivered and froze in place beneath him with a look of pained rapture followed by her sex fluttering around his lok. Spock hissed out a huff as her sheath pulsed around him to the beat of her heart, a steady vice like grip followed by a teasing pull deeper. It was stronger than he remembered, did she quaver like this last time?

Her voice filled the air as she let out a noise that took after the short, clipped gasps one made when choking as she dug her nails into meat of his shoulders. Her head thrashed from left to right as maelstrom of her climax drug her down into herself. She called his name, chanting it like a mantra as she drowned, so high and so lightly he sided ached from its enchantment. " Spock, Spock, Spock, Spock, Spock…!"

Spock struggled to move within her grip he snarled and reared up above her with a deep, pained groan. With a punctuated jerk, Spock ground his hips against her and nestled in between them as he flooded her womb.

She hissed at its initial burn then sighed as the heat soothed the tired, surrounding muscles. Spock collapsed off to her side in a sputtering heap. He had nearly come before her twice but by the sheer strength of his will held himself at bay. Nyota was none too easy to pleasure. Just upon entering Spock found himself ready to spill himself. He had embarrassed himself last night with such 'swiftness' but she seemed relieved that his adore was quell. The jealousy he felt at his father's presence around her had been hard to bank.

Spock laid there catching his breath, careful not to crush her under his immense weight as he stared at the dewy skin along her clavicle. He had marked her there just the night before last and it was now shedding its scabs.

Following his eyes with her fingers Nyota traced the oblong ring with the fore. " Yours," she said softly and was met by the rumble of his chest as he closed his eyes to her. To any other human he might have just come off as giving her the cold shoulder and giving into the tempting pull of sleep after coitus, but from the bond she could feel his swelling joy of the gesture.

" You and I,...we are quite different but I won't let that stand in the way of our happiness if you won't."

His eyes slowly rolled open. "I cherish thee, Nyota."

" You've changed." She said reaching up to cup his face.

He leaned into her touch thinking over her words. " Changed how."

" Your face. It's so still now...like the others. When I met you I thought I saw small gestures, a hint of a smile, a flash of a frown but now it's like you feel nothing. Your face is like a blinking mask." She murmured brushing his cheek. " At least I can feel you smiling in the back of my mind."

" Not since my childhood or my bought with pon farr have I been evincive. My time during enok-kal fi-lar was spent mastering my emotions so they did not master me as I grew of age. As as a result, my face has cleared its means of being emotive. Does my lack of expression bother you?"

" No...I just, I miss your smile. You have...had a nice one." She said giving one of her own. " I love you."

Spock closed his eyes against her hand and willed his mouth to move. The corners of his lips trembled with a jerk but otherwise remained a flat line. He exhaled in dismay until she rose up to kiss him.

When she pulled away her eyes were shining with mild amusement. " Like I said I know you're smiling here." She whispered tapping his forehead. " It's okay."

" I love you as well." He murmured. It was the first time that he wished to smile that he couldn't but as she said, Nyota knew his mind.

The sound of someone clearing their throat, brought them out of their revelry and back to their surrounding as the popped up to their forearms and spotted Sarek glowering at them as the peered over the bush blocking some of their indecency.

" If you two are done with destroying the flora and sanctitude of my garden you can kindly help to repair it and prepare for your departure. The temple will be ready to receive you I am sure."

" _Ha, Sa-mekh_." Spock said contritely. He looked around the lot and saw the freshly turned earth from their running around and the trampled flowers in between. They had indeed been quite destructive in their play.

" Very good." Sarek said mildly turning back towards the house.

He had only gone a few steps when a wet ball of mud struck and splattered against the back of his head. He paused on impact and brought his head to the offending material, studying it with narrowed eyes. " Safu, you wished to further provoke me?"

" Sa-mekh I did not…"

" Spock! How could you!?" Nyota gasped in horror. He turned to her and spied the flash of a smile before she continued with her act. " Hitting your father with mud! For shame. You have brought shame on our house!"

" I did not do such an act. It was in fact you who did so. Why would you-"

 _THUCK!_

Nyota covered her mouth but fell over laughing all the same as another ball of mud went sailing through the air and collided with the side of Spock's head. As it slid down onto his shoulder they turned towards a placid looking Sarek whose hands were hidden away in his robes. " Vacate. My. Garden. Or be ready for the consequences."

Behind him the spotted a smiling Amanda tossing a ball of mud at the ready within her hand into the air. " I assure you we're serious."


	21. Chapter 21: Snow, Sadness and Filth

A/N: There's a lot of switched views here so sorry if it becomes confusing. There's one from Amanda, another from Nyota and lastly one from Ulihar. In my breaking up the chapters I forget the footnote to say that a Bunyoro is a type of rabbit found throughout Eastern Africa. Though not as fast as a Savannah hare it is just as if not more agile. Any mistakes or typos are mine. See the end for discussion questions.

Amanda's POV

Amanda took in the scene before her and smiled contentedly. There was a familiarity about going out for ice cream or as Sarek would often say 'a postprandial treat' that made her feel at home.

Out in the open air of the market square in their casual wear, both couples sat happily licking away at the frozen, honey sweetened cream without much care. Licking was a stretch for the menfolk as Sarek and Spock had taken up using spoons to consume their desserts while she and Nyota openly mouthed at the milky dollops.

Nyota must have been home struck as well as she devoured her treat nearly as fast as her husband as Sarek neatly ladled the soft cream between his lips. She couldn't tell if her Maasai daughter liked milk even more than the Vulcans but it was clear that everyone was quite glad for the day's simple pleasures.

The morning had been spent sprucing up the house after the children's 'shenanigans'. Amanda was tactful about it because that evening she and Sarek had been anything but quiet themselves but then again who could be quiet when making love to a Vulcan?

After a hearty breakfast of cream maize porridge and poached guinea fowl eggs over toast Sarek took time to drill poor Nyota over her handwriting and High Vulcan. None of them spoke High Vulcan around the house. It was merely a formality that he was teaching the dear the snouty speech at all but Amanda knew Sarek was using the lessons as an excuse to learn more about his new daughter.

Nyota in her short stay had soften the old wolf, with her wide eyed amazement and never-ending quest for why and how. It annoyed Spock to no end. It could not be said outright that his father was doting on her but it for those who knew him Sarek was clearly enjoying himself.

Amanda shooed their son away to meditate or be vexed elsewhere after assuring him that his father's regard of his bride was purely familial in affection. When she suggested that he compile a test to quiz Nyota's new language lessons Spock to heart in besting his father's tutoring abilities.

With Nyota between them the males had a new path to transverse in reconciling their differences. She knew it was just a great step in the journey in their family growing closer together.

And if she was pregnant...oh just thinking of the possibilities made her ecstatic!

Amanda licked at the running vein of ice cream trailing down her wrist and sighed at the thought of a chubby little baby being shuffled and coddled around the house. She had always fawned over infants and if Sarek had any weakness at all, then it had to be pregnant women and babies.

As soon as he could sense it, her husband had attended to her like a personal valet. Every night was spent rubbing her feet and back with relish that only one who truly believed in their work could muster. The successful pregnancy of their son had brought them closer. And when Spock was born, oh how he moved he had been. He held the tot late into the night melding with him and pouring in his affection like a river to the ocean, a conduit that never ceased and a reserve that never filled.

Amanda had thought about having more but the other pregnancies she had never made past the first three months. As a child Spock could not understand her longing for his missing siblings, the babies she had grown to love but was forced to say goodbye to. She had always envisioned a large family for herself but as always it seemed that Yahweh had other plans for her.

Which made Nyota's presence all the more joyful. Here was a young life, bright, vibrant and full of potential. If she wasn't pregnant yet it surely wasn't for a lack of trying but she hoped that carriage of an alien hybrid would have an easy go inside her, especially with the Spock's mixed heritage.

" Your dessert has nearly melted back into milk, Amanda." Sarek chided. He wasn't truly bothered but he knew she enjoyed him pointing out the obvious. The notion of 'teasing' was still a novelty and he loved to exercise it on her. Hopefully he would take up doing so with the children...and give her a break.

She rolled her eyes and huffed at her before sipping down the confection. She bit the maize bowl the vendor had served it in and waved it dish in his face. " And yours is nearly gone entirely." She grinned. " I never knew Vulcans could be so greedy until I dined with you."

Sarek blinked and delicately pushed his wooden spoon into the last of his ice cream. Lifting the spoon to his lips he gave Amanda a pointed look. " Perhaps not all Vulcan have such a voracious appetite but I find that if I enjoy the taste of what I am eating I can become quite gluttonous…"

Nyota's gasped around her spoon with her eyebrows up towards her hairline while Spock made a sour look of disgust as much as he could without being emotive. " Father. Please."

Sarek looked as innocent as he did regal as he tucked the spoon into his mouth. It was a charm of his, to mean things but not say them outright so it made others seem irrational. It did not help with endearing himself to his people and it drove Spock batty but it was entertaining for Amanda to see...when she wasn't at the heart of it. " Please you two, just finish up your food. I think Nyota and I can both say neither of you have room to talk when it comes to good behavior…"

Spock's cheeks flushed green as he glared into his ice cream while Sarek gave a graceful shrug of his shoulders. " I would not know what you mean. This is the first time I am hearing such a compliant."

" Are the always like this?" Nyota whispered into Amanda's ear.

Amanda nodded with a look of long suffering and sighed heavily. " Yes, each of them is mulish in their own way but I'm use to stubborn men. And need to whisper dear those ears can hear your voice for leagues."

" I can not hear at such a length." Spock pouted haughtily.

Amanda reached over and pulled the body part in question bringing her son's head and attention along with it. " Don't get smart with me. You know I'm right about you being stubborn and just teasing about the distance. I raised you better than to be so petulant."

" Mother, release me!" He yelped. A pained expression crossed his brow before she finally let him go and went to rubbing his ear.

Sarek looked too smug about the whole exchange so she leveled with him too. " You started this and I'll end it later."

As much as he could her husband's face looked sullen although lacking in sincerity. " My apologies."

Amanda glanced her hand over his before retrieving their spoons. " I'll return these to the vendor. Nyota why don't you help your mother in the house and we'll leave the men to their own devices?"

" Yes, mama." She nodded obidently. Amanda rose up from the ground and trailed with her latest family member back towards the market. " See you later boys."

Spock's mouth popped up at the reference of being a boy but he quickly shut it and resumed rubbing his ear.

Back at the stand they returned their utensils and wandered about the square. Nyota walked beside her but Amanda slowed her gait. She had heard all the commotion she and her son had made and no matter all the creams and rest, the poor, little _shayner maidel_ (beautiful woman) had to be tired.

Being a Maasai girl and as modest as she was, Nyota probably didn't know what she could do in lieu of coitus. Amanda stared down at her feet as she tried to think of a way to bring up the subject when she heard Nyota sigh and hug herself.

" Mama, I don't think I'll ever get use to it. I like it all well enough but I feel like I can't walk properly…"

Well and then there was that.

Amanda glanced around her shoulder before picking up the subject. " It won't always be this way, dear. It's been rough going now with all this plak-tow mess but believe me there will come a time where _you'll_ be bothering him about it. Nyota...I don't know how to tell you this but I have some... _advice_ …"

Nyota tugged at the new dress Sarek had commissioned for her and looked up hopefully. " Yes! Please!"

Amanda knit her hands behind her head and twisted her lips thoughtfully. " So you know there are ways that you could...hmm uhh please Spock without the using your center."

She spoke to Nyota in rapid Maa so it would be harder for the population at large to understand them. And they said nothing would come of her anthropology studies…

Nyota's eyes brightened at the smooth, sing-song words of her father and eagerly followed up. " How, mama?"

" Well, as long as there's a lot of pressure and motion you could...finish him a number of ways. Holding him in your hands for example or if you're feeling bold…" Amanda stumbled over her words. She couldn't talk about this with her, it was just too much. Where the hell were her girlfriends?!

" Bold how?" She inquired. She was watching Amanda's face for the answer, making the older lady even more flustered.

" Oh God, okay uhh...you know what sweetling? It's probably better that you ask one of your sisters, maybe Esha to answer you on a bolder, less tiring love making huh?"

As much as Amanda already cared for Nyota there was just so much she wanted to discuss with anyone about sex, especially when it came to her family. And knowing Nyota if she held such things from Amanda she might feel honor bound to perform the acts out of a sense of duty. She didn't want to pressure her…

By some stroke of luck, Kibibi waved to them from the fruit stall down to the far right. Thank heaven Amanda mumbled her breath and started erratically waving back..

" Kibibi! Darling, over here!" Amanda shouted over the din of the market.

The young turkana woman nodded, gathered her goods and hurried over. " Auntie Amanda how are you? Nyota it is good to see you well! How is your man? Better I hope."

Amanda hooked her arm with Kibibi and dropped her voice. " That's what I wanted to talk to you about...my son is giving the poor dear a run for her money and she needs so woman advice. You know me and my western sensibilities, could you be a sweetheart and help my daughter out?"

Kibibi shot Nyota a coquettish look. " Oh yes, Auntie I think I can do that. I will bring her back to your house later."

" NO!" She shouted and immediately back-peddled as the two women looked at her in confusion. " I mean no...bring her to the temple she and Spock will stay there until they return to their homestead." she finished sweetly.

There was no way she was bringing those two back under her roof with her new found knowledge! It would be like Spock hitting his first puberty all over again. She shuddered at the thought.

" Come on sister, let's go have another lady chat, hmm?" Kibibi offered leading Nyota off by the hand. As the two departed speaking in low tones, Amanda sighed softly. Time to indulge to her baby fever.

She spent another hour in the market leisurely flitting from stall to stall, gathering cloth and material to knit a layette set and tiny little accessories. As much as Sarek would enjoy their grandchild adorning their family colors of black, burgundy or russet gold she wasn't going to have the tots first years so heavily Vulcanized. Swatches of red, blue and white were laid out on display and from her early years of rough exploration she knew that the Maasai loved to dress their children in such.

With goods in tow, Amanda made her way slowly back to the house with thoughts of sweet smelling infants and the changes that parenthood would instill in the young couple.

As she came free of the colorful stalls Amanda became aware of someone trailing behind her. The presence was not so much seen as it was felt and while it was at a distance it was distinctly trained on her.

Amanda continued her casual stride even as the hairs on the back of her neck stood up on end. As she neared the tree lined pathway leading to the houses she chanced a glance behind her by dropping some of the cloth she bartered for onto the ground.

" Ah! What a klutz!" She grumbled turning to face whomever was behind her. She gasped sharply when she looked up to find them standing above her. The figure was draped in a red hooded robe that was so dark it almost came off black. All features of the being were shrouded by the thick, billowing fabric but its movements earlier told Amanda what she was dealing with. A vulcan she thought pausing, no human could move so quick and so quietly. " Can I help you?" She asked neutrally. The last thing she wanted to give off was the air of caution she felt.

The figure bent gracefully and squatted beside her. Extending its arms out towards her purchases a pale pair of hands pick up and fold the cloth. Amanda sighed in relief and shot a smile back to the hooded Vulcan. " T'izh, thank you."

The white hands paused over their task for a beat as one of the pair salutes her. " Well met, Lady Amanda. If I could have just a moment of your time, I would like to parlay with you."

Amanda's smile broadened as she nodded and took the cloth the young Vulcaness extended towards her. " Yes, I would very much welcome a chat with you. Would it be too much to invite the youngest lady of K'goah over for tea? I think we would have more privacy and you would be free of having to deal with the sun."

" I would amenable to attend you, Lady."

With her new companion, Amanda sped up her leisurely pace to a lively walk, making small talk as they went. T'izh kept up with her easily and engaged her inquiries comments politely.

So diminutive Amanda thought as she watched her from the corner of her eye. After just leaving from Nyota's company the noble Vulcaness seemed like her polar opposite. Everything about her posture seems soft and extremely gentle which was further exacerbated by her small stature.

They enter her home and Amanda sat down at the table. While in roman she thought cheerily as the pale youth removed her robe and immediately went to preparing their tea.

As she sought her way around the kitchen Amanda felt Sarek's presence rising in the back of her mind. He was home but Spock has gone to the temple for meditation. He is curious, she figures as to the presence of the young albino daughter of their not so open rival in their home.

Amanda spoke aloud, hoping to ease his fears and back the ice between her and the Vulcaness named snow. " So while it's always a delight to have company, I must say I have not hosted you much before. I figure whatever is weighing on your mind is of the utmost importance?"

T'izh turned and Amanda is startled by her pale green gaze staring back at her from under the golden fronds of her long lashes. She had only seen T'izh twice both as the Vulcaness stayed mostly indoors and away from the sun but each time was enough to make an impression.

The first time was at a dinner party thrown by the Yonulsu clan in honor of a traditional fete that had Sarek put off for a whole week. As she mingled within the crowd Amanda spied the T'izh trying desperately to hide under her mother's floor length sleeves with her eyes darting nervously from face to face.

The dark robe gracing her shoulders did nothing to complement the softness of her features. As full blooded as her father was her beauty was heavily influenced by her human mother. Nyathera was just as rich in her brown skin as the other Kenyans among them but clearly carried the genes to produce such a fair child.

Everything about the female's body was white but with just as dash of color. Her pale cheeks were flushed the same fern green of her eyes while her lips had just the slightest hint of pink. The thick, curly strands of hair piled high on her small head looked like wavy, white gold glinting in the light.

When they were introduced the child was near trembling as she worked her fingers into a crisp salute. Amanda bent down and complimented her dress, saying how when compared to her own beauty did not hold a candle to it.

She didn't understand the idiom but smiled because she knew Amanda meant the phrase as a compliment. Amanda stared back at her, watching in amusement as her ear tips had grown green and her dull arch of her brow rose with glee. " Thank you, Lady S'chn T'gai. Your words are very kind."

" There are also very true. Remember that as you spend the night trying to hide behind your mother that you are quite beautiful just like her."

Nyathera's smile did not quite meet her eyes as she looked down at her youngest daughter and back at Amanda. " She is certainly remarkable."

Amanda frowned then, remembering how some tribes and nations viewed albinos. Whether mythical in their abilities or touched by demons, the pale people were often maimed, killed or cast out as undesirable marriage material. They were outliers at best in the mara but T'izh had been oddly blessed by her mother's captivity. Here she, no matter her color she would be seen and held as a lady of her father's clan before she was viewed as lacking melanin.

The second time she saw her, T'izh had grown considerably. They were present for the formal bonding of two full blooded Vulcan teens in a dull but happy wedding of sorts. As the pair stood between T'Kaas with their fingers held in silence Amanda glance over to where Spock was watching the show. Her normally pale son looked tall and tan standing next to T'izh's little figure while the nearby T'Pring looked downright swarthy.

Her height while average for a human woman was quite short for a Vulcan. She did not seem to mind being overlooked by some and ignored by others. When the male Amanda knew as Bov came to court her, T'izh never once met his eye. She just stood there staring down at her ample chest, looking for all the world like she wished she could disappear.

Now she stood before Amanda as a woman and a rarity not by merits of her skin. She was unbonded.

" Lady Amanda, I have wanted to speak with you for quite about this matter. You have always been just with me if not unnecessarily kind. Logically there was no reason for you to be which is why I knew that you were a female of integrity. What I wish to say to you I wish to keep within your house and nowhere else. Do I have you word of secrecy, Lady?"

" Yes, T'izh always." Amanda said emphatically, imploring the Vulcaness to sit. " Your secrets are safe with me. Whatever you have to say I will treat respectfully."

T'izh retrieved the teapot and cups. She busied herself with setting the table and pouring the tea and Amanda allowed her the time to settle her thoughts. Whatever she had to say bothered her for one reason or another. As Amanda poured a cup of tea for her T'izh nodded her thanks and took a deep breath. " There are those among the nobles that wish to see your house fall."

Amanda felt Sarek's attention flare within her mind as he listened in. She ignored the throbbing at the back of her head and leaned forward over her tea. " What do you mean?"

T'izh's face remained blank but her blush was always a tell as it was so easily spotted no matter its strength. As it across her face she pursed her lips and fought to clarify without being too blunt. " When I heard about your son and daughter in law I was very...moved. It was unjust and upset my abilities to suppress my emotions."

Her ivory hands cupped her teacup and brought it to her lips. She still appeared upset from the event. " When I saw them being carried into the village, Spock possibly dead and Nyota...I did not know what happened to her but when I saw that she was lamenting with her clothes torn I assumed and still do that her maidenhead had been stolen by the one that attacked her mate…"

She took another quick sip of her tea, exhaled and continued. " I went to the temple for reflection and meditation when I fell asleep. When I woke there were voices coming out from the next room. I strained to listen but not make my presence known as I overheard them speaking about your son."

Her bottom lip went into her mouth as she struggled to come forward with the rest. " I heard Stonn berating T'Pring. He was unsatisfied that she was seen outside of the compound. T'Pring cursed him and told him that he had failed with when to tell the sentries about spotting the Maasai near our lands."

Amanda's mind felt disconnected from her body the more she absorbed. " The pair of them sought to end our line by way of killing Spock?"

" And dishonoring Nyota by having her carry another male's seed." T'izh swallowed harshly. " Stonn did not seem as pleased with that part but T'Pring pushed that it he should check and see that she was...raped by the other male or males so T'Pring could speak against your house."

Amanda stayed silent as she refilled their cups and watched as T'izh nimbly brought the clay mug back to her lips. " T'Pring has at times voiced her displeasure with their pairing. Stonn thinks of Nyota as he mates her and T'Pring finds his personality lacking the luster of other males. If I may...infer and hypothesis?"

Amanda extended her hand out towards her. " By all means, you have my ear."

T'izh tucked her hands into her sleeves and focused on Amanda's face. Her face was still doll like with its porcelain complexion and soft angles but there was a marked difference in maturity. A few strands of her snowy blonde hair caught onto her ear as she turned her head towards the door.

" I think T'Pring wishes to solve her problems in one, convoluted but simple plan. She has used Stonn's possessiveness of your daughter and spite of your son to orchestrate the Maasai to come out and defend their stolen sister. T'Pring probably thought that either the Maasai would make off with Nyota and take her back or that Stonn would kill the remaining Maasai and hide Nyota away for himself. Either way Spock would be dead and Nyota would be gone."

Amanda nodded and the Vulcaness continued her line of thinking. " If the Maasai took Nyota away, you and your Lord would be moved to retrieve her and incite a war between our nations and mark your house as vengeful and unfit to lead the council. If Stonn made off with Nyota and had his way with her T'Pring could claim to learn of his deviousness and confess his sins to your house as a blessing from her own. You would be pleased in her retrieval and would hold the house Yonulsu in the highest esteem and with a great debt over your heads. With his betrayal T'Pring could ask a severance of her bond with Stonn with no one to question her motives. Then when Nyota's babe was born and clearly showed Stonn's touch she could get payment on your debt to her family by asking to grant her the honor of being left to lead the council instead of Nyota who is human or her child which would be illegitimate."

" I would say your hypothesis has merit and its reasoning is quite sound."

The ladies turned to see Sarek darkening the doorway. He looked at T'izh who immediately blanched under his gaze. He spared her the anxiety by moving his gaze to his wife but spoke to the young lady. " You have my thanks, young _T'sai_. We could not have come by such information as readily as you have."

T'izh bowed her head with a nod. " It is simple to come by such information when no one thinks anything of you. The others say all sorts of things in front of me but never to me. I just listen and keep to myself...well that is until now. The actions of T'Pring and Stonn are...prejudicial. I speak of those who I know have wronged you _S'haile_ S'chn T'gai but I do not know if there are others…"

She let the last word linger between them and Sarek picked it up gently as he knew what she implied. " What the rest of the others think of me and my house has not jaundiced my view of those who are worthy of deference. I would not have known such a shy little creature to help us but I, Sarek son of Skonn am in your debt T'izh _T'sai_. Your logic and grace honors me and mine." He said with a bow.

By the end of his speech the maid was the color of a palm frond she was blushing so fiercely. " No, you honor me. Spock has always been fair to me and your lady's words to me so many years ago helped me in my times of doubt. Perhaps one day I will find a bondmate that is as honorable as your males. That you forgive my father's anger towards you and my mother's coldness towards your lady is also honorable, _S'haile_."

Sarek held up his hand before tucking it back into his sleeve. " Their choices are their own. You will find a bondmate." He said assuredly. " Your nature is amenable and you will forgive this one for judging your aesthetics as fetching as they are unique. You need not worry, should she _K'diwa_?"

She shook her head and rapped her knuckles on the table. " Not at all dear. You said it quite beautifully. T'izh may I embrace you?"

She rarely held herself at bay when it came to affection with the women of the compound and her family but with Vulcans any undue touch could be potentially disastrous. But she could hardly tamp down the urge to had to smother the young female in a big bear hug.

The Vulcaness nodded meekly and Amanda rushed her flailing of arms and kisses. " Thank you, thank you, thank you so very much!"

T'izh made an intimate touch of her own by brushing her fingers against the back of her hand. " You are most welcome, Lady Amanda."

Sarek departed for his study while the ladies composed themselves and finished their tea. After her fourth cup T'izh rose and bowed her head. " As much as I am agreeable to staying and conversing with your further, I must take my leave less my absence is noticed. I am suppose to meet at mid noon to study with T'Bes."

" Ah yes, you shouldn't keep her waiting though if she's with her books she'll hardly miss you."

T'izh moved her mouth into a line that wasn't quite a smile but had the amusement their in her eyes. " Yes, a very astute assessment. Good day, Lady Amanda."

" Good day, Lady Snow."

\- Nyota's POV-

They walked a bit before Kibibi decided to break the silence. It seemed that she was in no rush to resolve the matter and wanted Nyota's company. " You have melded with Spock have you not?"

Nyota nodded and blinked wistfully. " Yes quite a few times actually."

" Well then, pleasing him should be easy. Vulcans love taking your mind almost as they enjoy taking your body."

They were walking along the eastern wall headed south with no set destination. Kibibi kept step beside her as she fidgeted with her top. Other than her ample chest, Nyota probably figured the sister-tribe woman was uncomfortable with wearing the bralette and crop tunic. " Are your clothes irritating? Would you like to borrow my shuka to wear instead?"

Kibibi sighed with a chuckle. " No, I'd just as soon prefer to not wear anything. These Vulcans are so prickly about nudity! It's hot though! By midday I have a pool of sweat the size of lake Turkana between my breasts from this foul cloth cover."

" What does Ulihar think?" Nyota asked after her husband.

Kibibi shrugged her shoulders and put her hands along the beaded belts at her hips. They were wide and comely as her mother would talk about being able to throw a child. Looking at the young wife she had what the Bantu would have considered a perfect body for it. Full breasts, a long torso and large hips were considered lucky for such pursuits and Kibibi most definitely had all three. As far as Nyota knew the pair did not have any children but she was unsure as to why. Most women couldn't wait to have children of their own coming from her nations. Maybe they didn't they want any?

" I go about our house topless without issue but I think he is mostly concerned with the eyes of others. As modest as they are, Vulcans are far from blind when it comes to a woman's figure. Even with the boys and men of my tribe appreciating me as they did with all women, the Vulcans seem different…"

Nyota nodded and pulled her arms around her. " I know what you mean. Their eyes reflect their hunger and it is uncomfortable. The men of my nations would see a bright smiling face with strong shoulders and long legs while here...when Stonn looks at me I feel like flesh."

" That elephant eared Vulcan? He bothers you?"

Nyota stifled a laugh and nodded. " Yes, I don't trust him. I don't want to be around him."

She wanted to tell Kibibi of her suspicions but held her tongue. She trusted Kibibi and her husband but not any ears that may over hear them.

Kibibi nodded, still pulling at her top. " Don't worry sister. I may not be a fighter like you but I will help you keep away from that temple guard if you wish."

" You have my thanks Kibibi."

The Turkana woman smiled and preened at her gratitude. " My pleasure sister. Now about your man problem let me tell you a few things. If I did not know them I would be ambling about bow legged if I could even walk at all." She snickered. Nyota laughed along with her, feeling halfway there herself. It felt like Spock had spent more time inside her than out the past few days.

Kibibi held up her slim bracelet ringed arm and spread her fingers. " Sharing your mind with your Vulcan can keep them at bay."

" Is that so?"

" Oh yes I've seen it done and do so with my Ulihar. He can bring us both to pleasure just by melding our minds. It can of course be enhanced by physical touch but really it's thrilling to have it done in such a way."

Nyota walked beside her silently as she thought over the information. True in times past when their bond was being used but not acknowledged she had been plagued by Spock's pon farr dreams. The time she fell asleep while bathing also came to mind as she thought he had actually touched and penetrated her.

Strangest of all had been their melding during his first fevered bout of plak-tow. Spock had shown up as they strange beast and she had taken him between her legs. It had actually felt like the giant, bulbous cock had sunk inside her and bumped against her womb. If she had stayed within the meld would the fabled mgeni beast have had its wild way and left her trembling on and beneath him?

The thought of its member spilling sticky ribbons of white inside her had Nyota wondering if she would feel the cock pulsing against her walls or the heat of his seed before shaking her head in embarrassment.

All this bedding she had done with Spock had made her like a lioness in heat. She rubbed her face and bit at her lip. It was best to leave such thoughts be.

" My mother told me there are other ways with my body that I could please him...she mention my hand but no other way…"

Nyota trailed off as she had an inkling as to what the matron meant. It would be most shameful if she was right and telling if she wasn't.

Kibibi glanced at her coyly and pointed to her mouth. Oh goodness she was right!

The curvaceous Turkana woman maneuvered her arms to mimic holding something hand over hand in front of Nyota. " You take him like so and stroke him like you're gently but firmly milking a goat."

" How do I know if I'm doing it right?"

" When his milk actually spills out on your hand."

Nyota covered her face with her hands and made a scandalized giggle. " How foul! You have got to be kidding me?!"

Kibibi grinned mischievously, ribbing her side. " You are a married woman now, eh? There is no place for shyness or modesty, sister."

" Fine then but what does that mean for...my mouth?"

" Well, as for your mouth, the tricks are simple but hard to master. As tiring as it is doing it by your mouth always ends the same right? You suck as you would water through a reed but use your tongue to…"

Kibibi paused and looked off in front of them. She looked frightened and when Nyota tried to turn around she held her face and spoke to her. " You know what I just thought of? We should go to the temple and just let you test your new knowledge! Won't that be fun? You don't need me telling you so much all at once! Come on, let's go."

She pulled her arm with a strength that was unusually firm. What had she seen? " Okay, let's go then."

Kibibi's hold tightened as she sped down the path towards the temple's steps. She doesn't look behind her. Instead she watched the trees above them. They are halfway there when they hear a disturbance in the canopy. Nyota tried to find the owner of the racket but the trees were thick with leaves and the maker of the noise was too fast to hone in on. Maybe some sort of primate? No too large for that. " What _is_ that?"

Kibibi visibly relaxed and continued on more slowly. " A good spirit. Sorry to rush you earlier. Let's go more slowly."

Nyota nodded looking behind her. She saw nothing out of the ordinary, just trees, trees and more trees. Glancing at Kibibi she wondered over her behavior. What had actually moved the woman to retreat with such haste?

Kibibi, for all her earlier insistence, looked as if nothing had happened. She turned and met Nyota's eye and gave her hand a squeeze. With a soft but agreeable voice she sang a tune Nyota wasn't familiar with to ease the tension she had created.

It was about a leopard being taken by the beautiful of the gazelle, so that when he caught her he could not bring himself to eat her. The antelope in turn freed his starvation so broke his heart and fled his presence. Nyota could tell it was a tinga song, explaining why the leopard would bring his kill into the tree with him. To say that he was grieved by his love dying by his teeth in a crime of passion was a bit much.

Maybe she was just being sensitive to the fact that in her relationship with Spock she felt very much like the gazelle and his regard towards her to be very much like the leopard. Her hand reflexively palmed the spot where he had marked her earlier. The mark that she basically begged for as he turned her into a babbling fool. She couldn't be all that mad with him, she had bitten him too, sparking the one that he left on her shoulder. She just didn't understand why she become so delirious with him, how lost she was to reason when he sank himself inside her. Nyota thought with his pon farr behind them that he'd be better but it seemed that she was the one that was ill now. When was it that Spock had turned her into some wanton woman?

At the end of Kibibi's song, Nyota smiled and joined her in another song that she knew, about getting ready for a festival by naming and listing the jewelry, make up and clothes in a growing round. It was a nice change of pace Nyota thought, to sing such a childish song. She was tired of sex and talk of sex and the how to's and when to do's. She hoped that when she saw Spock next she could rest with him instead of trying the new, obscene information. That would be more of a possibility if she were pregnant she thought.

" I hope I'm with child soon." she confessed at the end of the song.

There was a silence that stretched between that Nyota did not want to break. Kibibi had changed at the mention of pregnancy. The playful, smiley woman who had been teasing her earlier was gone and replaced with a lady who was sullen. It almost looked like she was grieving.

" I hope for such too." She said finally. " I...I've never been able to take Ulihar's seed."

Nyota turned her face towards her but Kibibi stayed looking up ahead. Her face was nearly devoid of expression with the exception of her tears that had started to collect along the base of her chin.

Nyota stayed quiet but stepped closer, rubbing her shoulder against hers. If Kibibi wanted her words she would take her nearness as a sign to ask after them. For now Nyota was more than content to lend the lady her shoulder. After a while Kibibi took a shuddering breath and spoke to her.

" We've tried countless times. After our bonding, during his pon farr and all the times there after but my body never once conceived. I often times wonder…"

She wiped her chin against her chest. A jagged breath left her lips as she began tugging again at her top. " I wonder if in exchange for my life the EnKei took my ability to make it."

EnKei was the God of the nomads who resided on the mountain. Nyota remembered questioning his existence and power when she had been marked off by the Vulcans. Why would he send her off away from his people to another that did not know him? She could hardly fault Kibibi for feeling the same sense of disregard or cruelty. It was a hard feeling to reconcile yourself to, being cheated by God or worse yet that he didn't even care in the first place.

Kibibi sniffed and gave a humorless laugh. " I have been here, growing more mature and loving my husband but as everyone else grows fat with babies my stomach stays flat! I know he loves me but I know Ulihar would love to love a baby, our child too."

" I am sorry, sister." Nyota said because there was really nothing more to say. What could be done to comfort or console her otherwise?

Kibibi sighed heavily as Nyota's arms came around her. She held her as they walked in amicable silence. It was not such an easy thing to share, being a barren women, but that Kibibi felt safe and close enough to do so touched Nyota. It was considered shameful or a blight in many tribes when a woman was afflicted in such a way. Her husband would often times marry many more wives than typical to make up for the lack of children, further diminishing the wife's status and esteem.

Being married to Vulcan, Kibibi did not have to worry about him taking another but the social stigma of being unable to bear children still haunted her it seemed. Nyota pressed her cheek against hers and sighed. Nyota did not want to pepper her with how to's or prayers or words to cheer her. Sometimes in her sadness Nyota just wanted to be with someone and that's what she chose to give her kinswoman now. Silence for reflection and comfort for her many conflicting emotions.

As they came up on the temple, Kibibi turned her face and kissed Nyota full on the lips. Nyota stared back in a daze as she took in soft smile on Kibibi's face. " It's not so easy here but it's not easier elsewhere. Thank you for the walk, sister. You gave me a great peace in it."

Nyota started to reply when she saw the tree canopy shaking with movement again. Just as he had when they first met Ulihar dropped nimbly in front of her from the top of the trees, sending her stumbling back with a loud curse. " Shit! Would you stop that!?"

His mask was in place, still making him appear ghastly but she knew from the way he held himself that smug jackal was probably smiling. Probably not actually he was still Vulcan despite his sense of humor. " You are a jumpy little thing, aren't you?"

He turned towards his wife and his whole demeanor changed. Nyota heard him scent the air, his chest quietly rumbling as the giant Vulcan stared down at his mate below. " Kibibi, attend this one." he said, in a voice that startled Nyota in its wealth of emotion. At the present Nyota had only heard Spock speak that way towards her at only their most intimate times. To hear another Vulcan be so visibly moved by his wife was astonishing.

Kibibi wasn't in the least bit perturbed by his sudden ( surprising) appearance from the trees as she hugged his bare torso. " My stag."

He bent towards her and watched her quietly. Something passed between them, something intimate and alien before he extended two fingers along the wetness on her cheek. " _Du buhfik vah du wi._ (You being perfect as you are)."

Kibibi smiled softly and took his hand. " Thanks, you too. I am tired. Please take me home."

" _Vah istaya du_.( As you wish.)" he said, turning his attention to Nyota. " But first we must deliver the Maasai woman to my brother. There's something prowling in our woods that I have yet to kill."

\- Ulihar's POV- ( just minutes before meeting the women)

Ulihar flew down from the trees and rolled to his feet. The Kudu skull was in place over his face hiding his expression but his body clearly spoke of his displeasure.

" You follow _my_ woman and that of my brother's."

It was not a question nor was it simply a statement. Though not an open threat it was in his tone that the sentry would not tolerate the other male's behavior. Stonn glared back at the masked male and stepped closer. " I did nothing to warrant your current emotional response."

" An emotional response?" He asked with almost a huff of laughter. " If you believe _this_ to be an emotional response then you truly know nothing, templar. If I were to react emotionally you would _know_ it."

A low hiss rolled from his lips as he ended his sentence but Stonn remained unmoved. " Your precious Kibibi is safe from me and my affections…"

Ulihar freed the spear from his back and brought it to his side. " And now you use my mate's name and insult her in the same breath?! Stonn you test my patience."

Stonn sighed and walked forward. Ulihar swung the spear around to the front and held it level to his chest. Stonn continued to come closer until the tip nearly touched the delicate silk of his robe's collar in a subtle play for power. " No offensive was meant."

Ulihar's body was still as stone as he considered the other's words. " Much offensive was taken. You scared her. She called for me in our bond and here I find you lurking in the bushes far from your family, your duty and your house. You said my doe was safe but my brother's mate's safety was not mentioned. You have no business with her either."

His words, while muffled by the bone lining his face, were firm and brooked no further argument. Stonn looked up and away as if the sentry posed no threat to him. If he was hoping to incite an emotional response he would gain none as Ulihar and the spear he held stayed firmly in place.

" I cannot attend my duties at the temple as I've been driven off by your lordling brother's need to meditate. Seems that his human blood requires more handicaps to obtain serenity." Stonn quipped.

" You are not trusted, simply put." Ulihar shot back.

" She was mine." Stonn said quietly. If he had not been Vulcan Ulihar thought he would have missed the words but Stonn's far away expression of lust gave him away.

" She was never yours, templar. Burn for your wife and not another's."

Stonn's blue eyes hardened and narrowed. " You know nothing about me or my burning, halfbreed."

" I do not take kindly to you referring to me as halfbreed. It would be to your benefit to address me by my name or station."

" Feeling threatened? It would be unsound to challenge a full Vulcan like myself, halfbreed. Against me you would lose."

" Whether I would lose is unknown but I am prone to experimentation…" His long hair came to rest on his shoulder as he tilted his head. " What do you say, templar. Guard vs Guard, Logic vs Passion? You are undoubtedly stronger but I am certain of my speed. I could pierce you with my blade and have it clean of your blood before you even noticed the cut."

He gave a shake of the spear as he gestured behind him with a nod. " She who is my brother's mate is under my protection. I will not let anything happen to those under my watch."

Ulihar cocked his head to the side as he saw Stonn...smile?

" Oh Ulihar you have always been so entertaining to talk with. The human humor you have always amazes this one. Truly one of the less abrasive traits of your kind..."

" My kind? You speak of hybrids as mutants and humans as inferior and yet you actively fawn over one? Where is your logic in that? What you would gain by hurting her…"

" I would never hurt her..!" Stonn cut him off. His eyes were blazing and his jaw was tight with tension. " Even in her humanity that human is lovely and fair. I could never harm her...only care for her. She is safe from me as well…"

Stonn looked away from Ulihar and straightened himself, smoothing back on a face of callous superiority. " Do not think yourself so great that you could protect her from all of us. Know _**your place**_ just like your pale apparition of a cousin, T'izh, you half breed filth."

" Know your fucking wife you pureblood cunt." Ulihar cursed lifting up his mask. His one green eye was trained on Stonn with a coolness that was more disturbing than aloof. " Do not think your heritage so grand as to protect youself from me."

" Resorting to cursing now I see. Just as a human would. It certainly seems that your wife is protected from your sordid lineage, sentry. Tell me, how many times has she whelped? Have you ever sired any sons or daughters from your loins? No?" Stonn tilted his head and waited for Ulihar to protest. Ulihar's body remained still in the face of the facts. As much as both of them desired and had tried he and Kibibi had been unsuccessful in making a family.

Ulihar's nose furrowed along its bridge before smoothing out his barely suppressed outrage. It was an exceptionally low blow for Stonn to bring such things to light in their quarrel but Vulcans rarely fought with fists and spears. Surak's teaching opposed death and physical altercations. That said the enlightened ancient did not say anything openly opposing verbal ones. Words of authenticity wielded by a seasoned enough intellect could bite just as sharply as the cold edge of a blade.

The antipathy mounting between them was as clear as it was palpable but the sentry held none towards the truth. It would be illogical to rage against reality no matter how callously it marked their lives. With Ulihar working to curb his chagrin Stonn further lanced him with a mix of slander and veracity.

" You know it is because humans and Vulcans were never meant to breed. The native species here was a means to an end, chiefly overcoming pon farr."

Stonn loosely held his forearms from inside the folds of his sleeves and glared at him. His face was a picture of Vulcan discipline, still, smooth and seemingly unaffected but the baleful judgement he held in his eyes however said differently. Rolling his shoulders he went on in his opprobrious triade.

" You, Spock and the rest of your lot are biological anomalies, abnormal amalgamations, a blight on the _V'tosh_ race. The existence of you all and your _spawn_ threaten put an end to our people. The crew marooned here on Earth struggled then and now to survive and maintain who _we_ are. The humans are simply comfort females, pampered pets of those who would obtain them. You would no sooner use your seed to breed a sehlat than deem it worthy of bonding with your offspring. I would be remiss in blaming you for your condition...why should I think you, a _mutant_ caricature of a Vulcan, capable of such high logic?"

Ulihar's face stayed impassive as he launched back with his own defamation. " You are a prime example of our Vulcan ancestors' undoing. Your egocentric arrogance runs unchecked as you cover your megalomania under the facade of logical serenity. The supposed logic you tote around is nothing more than the xenophobic rantings of a demagogic harrier.

Curious that you would spout libel against hybrids for performing the same deeds you yourself would do. You speak of humans like my mother as if they are slaves to the Vulcan male's baser instincts when you know them to be just as relevant as Vulcan females." he huffed.

He glared at Stonn who stood largely unmoved by his words. The cunt. " And obtain women? I believe you mean traffic them. Call it for what it is, templar, nothing more than glorified bride-napping. In the beginning those males of the crew might have viewed the human females as a solution to a biological problem but as Vulcans came into knowledge of who humans were so did we see our ignorance in our treatment of them. The lack of gratitude Vulcans hold towards the humans is nearly as large as our hubris."

Ulihar exhaled sharply as if clearing himself from a foul odor. It was a rude gesture among them, performed especially towards those viewed as lacking sense. Stonn narrowed his pale eyes and huffed back but Ulihar was not done with him. " You slander my brother because he got the mate you _knew_ he wanted and schemed to steal away. What is more is their contentment rubs you so raw that you stand before me spewing this divisive drawl that even a _kan-bu_ could see is untenable. Check yourself before you lose your ability for sound reasoning, you inbred bigot."

" I know what I am, half breed. Which is more than what I could say for you. Leave me to finish my constitutional, speaking with you has given me a pain in my temples." He snapped, gliding towards the direction of the northern gate.

The thin beaded bracelets jangled discordantly against his metal bracers as Ulihar shifted the spear in his grip. In the time of a blink he had brought the blade to the Vulcan's throat and side stepped back in front of him.

Stonn watched him now warily as all traces of good humor left the sentry." The humans know to fear my forest and you will too if you _ever_ come through my post again."

Stonn scoffed and blinked at him but the jerk of his jaw showed his unease. Raising the staff Ulihar waved the spear tip in front of his Stonn's face and pointed to the milky orb in the socket of his skull with his free hand. " I think I will get myself a new blue eye…make myself even prettier for my Kibibi. Though if she doesn't like blue I could always keep the white one...stuff the blue one back from whence it came."

" Ah a trade. Well then perhaps you _could_ attempt to pluck my eye and I could attempt to _pluck_ your precious human...fill her with the _kan-bu_ you are unable to give her." Stonn huffed before gasping with a hiss.

Quick as a flash Ulihar ran the blade down Stonn's neck like a razor and skinned the surface from his jaw to the edge of his robe collar.

Just as Stonn brought his hands to the wound Ulihar bent his long legs and leapt back into the tree canopy. He fastened the spear to his back and caught Stonn's eyes. " Purebred, you are no blood of mine. If you even so much as breathe the same air as my beloved I will run you in two and cast your lok to the hyenas, in this you have my warning. A precarious peace is offered so that I may have peace."

" It has been unenlightening conversing with you."

"There is no reason in talking with you." Ulihar hissed back. He slid the skull back in place with a rapid departure of jumping from one tree to the next.

Stonn looked down at his bloodied hand and then back to the now empty trees before departing for his house. It was by chance that the Ulihar's meek human had seen him following them in the woods. Next time he would not be so careless.

A/N: What did you think Nyota's pregnant? What are your inital thoughts about T'izh? Can she be trusted? Is she trapped by her family and at risk of the other high clan's plots? What did you think of Kibibi's plight? Ulihar had a face off with Stonn that was just as much about morals as it was about self justification, thoughts? Do you think Ulihar will cast aside his morals and murder Stonn? Do you think Stonn will harm the women? What do you think Stonn meant by saying ' You cannot protect her from all of us'? Who is all of us? Thanks for reading!


	22. Chapter 22: Introspection and the others

A/N: My computer is shot so I'm using a different one to work on this story as I can. It is barely beta'ed ( not the betas fault) but I'm worried that if I don't push this out that it may get stuck the computer run around. Thanks for all the reviews, thoughts and guesses with what's going on, they're been entertaining and motivating because believe me I don't wanna deal with a broke computer because it's just a pain in the ass. One more chapter to go and then I can work on the next story, finishing star crossed dot com and a few other stories I was giving prompts for. Thank you , Beachgirl25, InitialsLK, DanDevWe, Nyotarules, Midnightqueen6, Obessive66, Spockhura, PalomaD, BlueDragon014, , bankhead56, Kawaiigirl4life, Jo85Pete, AashleeElizabeth, Ster J, geniakay, guests Kara, Pothatoe, Poopscoop and many more who are owed thanks as well but I have not remembered for writing reviews, reading regularly and over all just being lovely. Thank you so so very much. I'll try and get the ending to you soon.

\- Stonn and T'Pring-

 _My Lady Yonulsu, I bid thee well. Your servant wishes to remind you of his loyalty and his gratitude for your teachings._

 _Though other high houses wish to keep it from us you have been gracious in sharing the knowledge of the old ways. I along with many others will endeavor to see your house restored to its grand station and the Vulcans take their rightful place as supreme beings of the mara and all of the Earth if the God and Goddess you serve would see to blessing us on this matter._

 _May the clan of T'gai S'chn and all of its descendants fall to their knees in your coming reign and beg pardon for their folly._

 _I will leave it to your wise judgement to decide what mercy if any should be extended towards them._

 _Live long and prosper, my Lady._

T'Pring balled the small strip of tree bark in her fist and beckoned her husband near. He came to her eagerly, his watery blue eyes watching for her command.

" _Tu'ash._ (Open.)" she said firmly extending the bark out towards his face.

Stonn's eyes stayed intent on her face as his mouth fell open to take the proffered material into his mouth and closed his lips over her fingers.

Her eyes flashed brightly at the intimate contact, allowing them both to savor the pleasure of him suckling on her fingers. When it started to grow into something more heated she withdrew the digits from his mouth, wiped the saliva across his face and brought her hand back to rest in her lap.

As he chewed the bark into a pulp, Stonn watched her shift thoughtfully on their bed as she digested the news. " I did not believe the humans would fail so poorly in their task - or that the noble halfbreed would be able to best them all and survive it. He had been so far along with his pon farr."

Stonn swallowed the bark blinked up at his wife. " Perhaps he was not as far along as you predicted?"

He flinched as T'Pring ire burned between them in the bond and she allowed herself a quick glare in his direction. " I would never be mistaken about such an ailment. It was my family's duty to know of and grant such conditions. From the moment he walked into the village his whole carriage bespoke it. Your human was lame in alleviating him which should have made the whole situation play into our favor."

Stonn huffed in annoyance and stared down at the bedsheet. " He parades her about in his parents garden like some tartlet before me, taking her like the wild savage she is."

" The wild savages that they both are." T'Pring rebutted, staring off into space as she ran her long nails over the collar of her dress. " I won't stand idly by while they continue to offend me in such a way."

" Which is why I acted when I did." Stonn spat.

" You acted illogically. The timing was wrong. And now you are without your 'tartlet' and I am still made to see how a half breed mongrel who should have been honored to bond with a full bloodied Vulcan like myself instead chose a _human_."

Her face was beautifully smooth and placid but Stonn could feel her rage rolling just beneath the surface. She was infuriated. She couldn't fathom why either he or Spock had become taken with the small human. Perhaps it was a novelty or a Vulcan need to conquer the small, weak things and untamed creatures of this world. When she felt Stonn's passion for Nyota and witnessed Spock call for marriage to the Maasai woman she had gone from confused to livid.

Not only was she considered one of the most beautiful of their females she had been also among the most noble, unbonded ones aside from that horrid looking T'izh, who was a half breed herself. So why should she, T'Pring, next matron for the house of Yonulsu, have to compete with such a basic, inept beast as that pet that Spock had married?

" Their whole house is tainted." she said bitterly, thinking of Amanda and Sarek. The once noble clan of S'chn T'gai that had the blessings of T'Reah, now reeked of human. From the two kept creatures, Sarek and Spock had further weakened the blood their ancestors had bred for strength both mentally and physically. How illogical to sully it so.

" Those imbeciles on the mara summoned the Maasai too early. If only they had waited a few days more we would have had our way instead of scrambling for balance while the high house grow suspicious...and you would have been free of Ulihar's marking you like a female."

Stonn stiffened at the implication and rubbed his neck. " He should be thankful for my practice of _Venlinahr_. Had I not been in control of myself I would have broken his back and made good on my threat towards his beloved as he watched."

" You are so unfriendly, _Ashel-veh_. And so clearly taken with human flesh. It is a wonder you have not procured one already to ease your obsession." T'Pring said flatly.

" I have had my tastes here and there. None from those have satisfied me as I am sure my human that Spock stole from me would." he stated sourly. " We were cheated. Rovoc was so eager to please you that he must have fetched the humans early after I treated with their young chieftain. His death was a loss, he wanted as much separation from us as we of them and was willing to go the extra lengths to secure it. His wives will mourn his passing. Fortunately Rovoc and his following are still among us."

T'Pring nodded as she thought over the youth's note to her. " Yes he is quite taken with thoughts of the old ways. He practically licked the words from my mouth as I recounted our history. Surak was too hard a teacher while Jurok went largely unnoticed. It was because of that pacifist we have abandon our Gods and lost our way inside ourselves."

The Vulcaness began to shed her clothing, nimbly unbuttoning one silken knot after another. Her mate's eyes followed her progress and watched with appreciation as her golden, olive skin came into view. She did not rebuke his gaze and in fact welcomed it. She did not have the patience for a dominance fight. " Though not in the least bit crafty Rovoc makes a good foot soldier. He needs to learn obedience however. Tell him when you see him next of my displeasure with his thinking for me. In this venture he is the one taking orders not making them. I will not have his failed logic being the death of me."

" Then there is the pale one, what shall we do with her?"

T'Pring blinked thoughtfully as she pictured T'izh's white face within her mind. She had tolerated her as a daughter of a house aligned with their own but witnessed her unfaithfulness as she caught the half breed walking with Sarek's human.

What had they discussed? Probably her no doubt as she had often times voiced a complaint against their clan. T'Pring tucked the memory away as another logical deduction that humans despite any Vulcan blood they may hold where not to be trusted.

" She has no doubt betrayed me but it is of no large, consequence. Her own frightful appearance is punishment enough as year after year passes with no one seeking her mind in marriage. I can't imagine why as I continue to put in a 'good word' for her year after year with every male that approaches me on the matter. Such a fate should be pitied, do you not agree?" she murmured, shrugging off her gown and resuming her seat with only her breasts covered.

" Of course my beloved." he replied, studying her nearly nude frame.

T'Pring hummed at the endearment and extended her arm limply towards him. " As if I could ever be beloved by you, my husband."

Stonn took her arm, turning the slender limb in his hands and drew her wrist to his mouth. " You could be. You are quite lovely." he said against her skin. She did not smell of him. He sought to rectify it.

" Lovely but not human." she replied before releasing an airy gasp at the sting of his teeth in her skin. He clamped down harder and she jerked in his hold, feeling the piercing sharpness shoot straight to her center.

" No, you are not." he mumbled around the wound, laving it between his words. " You are very much Vulcan but that holds its own attraction. You are quite pleasing, T'Pring. No Vulcaness is as fair as you. I desire your mark upon my skin."

She sighed as she felt his sincerity under the touch of his hand. It was not his fault that he was so enchanted by the humans. She had witnessed the most logically of males bewitched by these soft, chilly creatures, captivated by the wildly expressive faces and unrepressed emotions.

It disgusted her, they disgusted her. Her mate was just as afflicted by their wiles but she would care for him. Once they secured the human Nyota, he could have his fill whenever he wished, slowly relieving him of the sickness she infected him with by her existence. She'd just as soon be rid of her but Stonn would lament the loss.

Stonn's mouth was higher up on her arm now, nipping at her tricep and scent himself by nuzzling into the hollow beneath her arm. It was not unpleasant. " Stonn, you are very affectionate this evening."

" I am in a state of arousal, yes." he agreed, pushing her body down to the bed as he held her arms up away from her. " Would you deny me?"

" Could I ever?" she asked, her dark eyes searching his as he released her arms and took a hold of the bindings at her breasts.

" I would welcome you to try." he challenged, ripping at the tight cloth and climbing on top of her.

From the window, a rhythmic, thudding punctuated with the pained pleas and whimpers ech from their room because when Vulcans coupled it was not so gentle a thing.

\- Nyota POV-

" _Nyota, takwenya."_

 _She feels the weight of his hand on her head as she bows before her father and smiles at the greeting. He is as happy to see her as she is to see him. When he lifts his hand she fixes her headband and looks up at him._

" _Are you going to help me today, eh?"_

" _Yes Baba."_

" _And that is why you are my favorite." He teases, turning away towards the field. " Let's go eat."_

 _She ambles behind him like all small offspring do their parents, excitement giving her limbs extra flourish as she skips and runs to keep up after getting distracted. She talks incessantly, recounting to her father what's gone on in her mother's home and the boma at large and he hums in reply at the appropriate times though he's half listening._

 _She rubs at her scalp, still going on about her brothers' childish pranks, as the sun makes her head hot. Her hair is short and clings to her head in firm, curly waves. " And then they popped up outside the window as we were eating, roaring and covered in mud! I thought they were mgeni cubs I was so frightened!"_

" _Simel and Tonkei are quite mischievous that is certain." He agrees with her tapping his fingers against the spear resting against his shoulder. " What did you do then?"_

" _Goma and I shed our clothing and fought them in the mud." She tells him gleefully. " We won."_

" _I wouldn't expect anything less from my little moran."_

 _She feels herself straighten at his praise and walks with a little more tact now. It's hard because she's grown a lot taller and her new sandals don't quite fit her feet. They flop loudly against the ground as she works hard to keep up with his long legged strides. She can smell the cows though she can't hear or see them and the promise of a breakfast with her father makes her giddy as well as hungry._

 _He watches her bouncing behind him and smiles amused. " Is it my daughter that follows me or a naughty, little tumbili?"_

 _She laughs and protests to which he makes a show of denying who she is. " No Baba, it's me and you know it!"_

" _Ok, my daughter sings as much as she talks so why don't you sing one of her songs and prove it?"_

 _She nods and hers her earrings tinny jingle in her ear. She starts with the song about frogs complete with hand motions, amusing herself as much as her father as they come up on the cows and select one for blood letting._

 _She continues to sing as he holds the animal by its horns and allows her to prick its hide and collect the thick, hot redness. As the stream tapers off her father inspects the cow as releases it back to the herd._

" _I suppose you are my daughter even if you are so naughty." He takes the gourd from her hands and fills the the cup that was at his waist. Once filled he churns the rest with a stick from a nearby tree and until its thick enough to eat._

 _Handing Nyota the stick they both settle down and dine over the blood to the music of the cattle. She watches his profile as he brings the hot cup to his lips and wonders what drove him to marry her mother._

 _His people raised no crops, gathered no wild plants or hunted. They survived on the cattle that their one God had provided for them and roamed the land where he placed them. Her mother's people on the other hand did everything almost the opposite with their farmland, various livestock and diet of certain bush meats that they shared among their permanent community._

 _Even with the traditions he still held her baba had given up a lot to be with her mama. She has been told that love can make even a lion forget the leopard's spots. This would explain him leaving the Maasai to settle his boma in his mother's village. Maybe when they came to know each other her parents found that they were the same even if they were reared differently, both lions dressed as leopards._

 _He hands her the cup after she finishes the clotted clumps lining the stick and favors her with a small nod of approval. " You make me very proud, Nyota."_

 _Baba_.

She woke up with gasp. She was in the temple, yes she remembered now. Kibibi and Ulihar had walked her there and Spock had received her warmly. Blessedly the evening had been composed of more technology lessons well away from their bed and preparing a meal for the temple residents as their duty as guests before retiring for the night.

Nyota took a deep breath and looked around the darkened room. The dream had been disorienting. It felt so real, like she could feel the milk coating her tongue, the weight of her father's touch and yet in this room she knew she was with her husband and while away from her family and the life she knew. It was as if her identity had been stolen, that she had been a daughter and now was just someone. A new identity had been offered but the old persona of who she was to others she loved still lingered to her like the pain of an old wound.

She hated waking this way but Nyota could not break free of the hold anxiety had upon her. Her hand came to her face and came away wet. Hugging herself Nyota turned on her side and let herself cry silently into the pallet. With Spock strange, hormonal dreams gone from her mind, she was now prey to the onslaught of her past.

Before she felt his hand Nyota felt the heat of it hovering over her side. In the back of her mind she felt Spock's consciousness spread open and observe her. He was troubled by her tears. He did not know what caused them or how to aid her. " Nyota…"

" Please, I don't want to talk about it right now." She mumbled softly. He wouldn't understand; he would probably think that she wanted to go back if she mentioned her family.

He held his tongue but within the bond he prodded her to open up her mind to him. She hugged herself tighter and pushed his inquiry mentally aside. " I just want to be alone, please." She shuddered.

She felt him recoil in her mind as he stood up and left their room. She hadn't meant to have him wander the temple at this time of night but she was too emotionally overwrought to summon up the will to call him back. Pulling the sheet around her waist tighter, Nyota went back to tearfully recounting everything she left behind.

\- Spock POV-

Spock turned towards the temple's exit and followed the path headed in the direction of his parent's home. As he expected Sarek was there on the trail midway between the two sites with his outer robe buttoned tightly about him. It was late in the morning, too cold for Vulcan comfort but Spock could not wait on the matter and had pushed his distress towards his father in their familial bond.

" _Safu_." the elder spoke, falling in step with him as they turned onto a trail away from the carter's wall.

" _Sa-mekh_. I have need of your council."

Sarek straightened at the news and gave a small nod of his head. From the tilt of his head he could tell his father was pleased by this notion. Spock rarely sought him out for anything. " Tell me your concern."

Spock laced his hands behind him and watched the ground as he moved over it. " My _ko-telsu_ , she is grieved. I am unable to attend her as she sent me away in her time of need."

He spared a glance towards his father and watched as his eyes moved thoughtfully over the forest line. " What did my _kofu_ say?"

" She requested that she be alone at the moment. She also begged the pardon of discussing the matter."

Sarek blinked, tucking his hands into the pockets of his sleeves. " What is it that you believe grieves her?"

Spock gave a slight tilt of his head towards his father. " Her family. I heard her utter the word _Baba_ before she awoke with tears. I was away from her mind as I slept so I do not know anything else for certain."

Sarek remained quiet, expressing his own discontent over his daughter in law's lament. " You must go to her and comfort her."

" _Sa-mekh_ , I have tried but she did not want to speak."

Sarek shook his head and looked at him. " I speak not of verbal relief but physical assuagement. Hold _kofu_ , cradle her. Humans while seemingly complicated are rather misunderstood. So much of our lives as Vulcans are spent in corporal seclusion that we overlook how tactile our mates are. Melding and _ozh'etsa_ is not enough to satiate our mate's need to feel secure nor is sound, logical debate.

My _kofu_ has expressed waiting to be alone because she feels as much. This is why you must go back. Hold her and listen without advising. Let the little one know you are a source of comfort for her among other things. Grieve with her."

Spock nodded his agreement and his acquiescence to go. " Ha, _Sa-mekh_. I thank thee."

" It is no thing for my _kofu_. Your mother has taught me a great deal during our time together and I am more than amicably in passing on such lessons to you, Spock."

Nyota must have really touched his father to have the elder so possessive of her. With his repeated phrase of 'my daughter' as if Nyota were his own flesh and blood Spock was sure of it. He was as pleased as he was jealous.

He was gratified to see that his father had accepted his choice of mate but still irritated that a male would openly dote on her, related or not. Their time spent in his household had been none too easy for Nyota as Spock took her after every lesson with his father. His mother had suggested testing her newfound knowledge but she had not specified how or what knowledge when he had agreed with her.

Even with plak-tow fully abated his need to claim her rode Spock. Whenever she returned to their quarters she inevitably smelled like Sarek after being so near and the scent would drive Spock to drive into her until both of them were spent. It had been embarrassing but he could not help himself from the instinctual need to do so. Perhaps with time the jealousy of his father's admiration of his mate would relieve itself.

" I will take my leave of you."

" Very well. Live long and prosper."

" Peace and long life, Sarek."

They parted and left for their respective dwellings when Sarek spoke once again, not pausing in his retreat. " Bonding becomes you, _safu_."

Nyota was still crying when he returned and Spock immediately scooped her up into his arms. Her normally cool body felt warm from her weeping and his venture outside the temple walls. Just as his father had mentioned Nyota curled against him, hugging him tightly as she bawled into his shoulder.

He steeled his body against the flood of her anguish as her skin pushed against his. He ran his hand against her back and murmured softly into her hair. It appeared to soothe her if only audibly. The jagged sharpness of her lament was still grating against him psionically as he held her.

The loud wailing had turned into hiccuping sighs as she calmed against his chest. After a while she spoke, surprising him with her choice to do so. " I miss my family."

He nodded and stilled his hands against her back. After a beat when it was clear he would make no comment she continued. " I miss my brothers and sisters, my mama, Spock."

She wiped her nose on the back of her hand with a sniff and closed her eyes. Spock could feel her longing burning at his eyes and chest as it passed between them. It hurt to hold her but he would not let go. Her love for her family was like a dull ache in her heart, growing sharp whenever she thought of them and he would not make her bare it alone.

" And I miss my baba too... _so_ much. I wish he could see that you took care of me, that you make me happy and keep me safe. I miss when my days were simple, when it was about food, family and minding our homes and herds. I wonder if he saw me now would he still be proud of me..I wonder if he still loves me!"

She began to weep again now in earnest and Spock engulfed her in his arms. Nyota knit her hands into his house robe and wet the hair at his chest. Raggedly Spock took a breath against the strength of her emotions and shielded himself against the surprising strong tide.

" Why did I have to choose?!" she cried. " I don't understand why it has to be this way. It is not fair knowing you both to have to chose my new family over my old one. I miss _them_! I would not leave you but it pains me to know that I can't be apart of them anymore! Goma will get married if she hasn't been already, Semil will be a warrior like he always wanted, Bina will grow up without me and everyone will forget me! Oh God, it hurts soo much Spock!" She howled.

Spock nodded. He could feel her heartache coursing through him, white hot and torrid. She clutched him tighter and held her cheek against his. His hands flew to her sides as his mind was stripped and clawed by her grief. It was _agonizing_ but he would not deny Nyota's need.

After minutes of sobbing she slumped into his arms and shivered against him with a jagged sigh of defeat. He took a breath and gathered her into his arms so the would both be more comfortable. Her body was limp with fatigue and he felt the same draw for sleep as well after her sorrow. Nyota's angst was still buzzing within their bond but it was a speck of a thing now compared to the thick flood it had been earlier.

Spock laid down on the pallet and pulled her bodily over him like a blanket and covered them both with the sheet. Nyota fell asleep even before he found his slumber, snoring through her running nose. Not that he would have slept first. Her grief had frightened him.

It worried Spock how painful it had been for him to bear and morbidly he wondered if her body would be able to weather it. Would Nyota..would she could she die from it? How could a human live with such an emotional pain without _Venlinahr_ or meditation?

Idly he brushed a hand down her back before bringing it up to her face. There he splayed his fingers along its side and held her mind. Spock did not understand all of her emotions just as she was unable to identify with all of his but he melding with her would comfort them both. He would be near and she would feel his want to support her. As they mentally tangled themselves Nyota snuggled sluggishly against him with a nonplussed sigh.

Checking her over for any injuries, even as he knew she was fine and the action in itself was illogical to do, Spock felt calm enough to relax. In the dawn, he would have her attend him as he met with the council of elders and ran his errands.

Nyota needed stability and for that she needed normalcy. Spock thought of their house on the mara, lying idle and unused. As much it pained him to consider it he may have to lend it out to another newly bonded pair on the mara or give it all together.

Nyota had not flourished there but here at the village compound she was doing exceptional well. She had human companions, a family of in-laws to visit with and a very strong lead on a potential position within the village as a teacher. Spock could not ignore the fact that she also had community here, a human stipulation as much as it was a Vulcan one though his people's biology did not demand direct connect at all times. There were bonds for that and being as long lived as they were, time did not have the same sort of pacing. Human connections however were built and constructed differently.

Just as his father had stated their wives were tactical creatures but how they touched one another went beyond physical gestures of affection. Time spent in the company of one another while expressing their emotions seemed to be another form of it. Spock had noted the change when Nyota had come home from spending time with his mother and Kibibi. They had _touched_ his wife in that human way, made her thoughtful and at ease.

Combing through her contacts Spock could feel Nyota's warm affection for the women. Thrumming against the connections Spock was surprised to see she had _bonded_ with them. Not in the way his Vulcan nature would have him with psionic energy knitted into the brain of another but in a way that humans thrived on through emotions.

 _Fascinating_ he thought as he delved deeper. It was not an idea that he had considered, viewing his wife through the lens of his Vulcan culture and lifestyle but that was the fault of his own emotional investment towards the person in question. He did not believe himself capable of separating his feelings for Nyota even if doing so would help him scientifically understand her.

Spock shook himself mentally and picked back up his examination from where he had originally digressed.

Reviewing his findings Spock found humans to be quite the extraordinary creatures. Though they could suppress their emotions to an extent they did not have the ability to navigate around them like Vulcans could or rather had to for sanity's sake. Her people did not _venlinahr_ because her people _were_ _venlinahr_.

They expressed their emotions, connected over them, exercised and purged them out and just as readily had a new harvest of them cropping up. The alien fashion in which they did still alluded him as he had always processed his emotions as a Vulcan. Understanding was still analyzing.

He investigated his last exchange with his wife and the emotions she had experienced therein. A very deep, seated affinity glowed hotly about him in her mind and came over him like a balm. Her ashau, he concluded. He had bonded with her too, touched her in a way that called to the nature of her humanity because he had assisted her in easing her grief.

Spock sighed into the darkness as the thought of it pleased him. Unbeknownst to him, he had helped his Nyota being allowing her to bond in a method she was familiar with, in a fashion that she needed.

Spock brought his other arm over to drape across her hips. He still had so much to learn about her, to care for Nyota's needs. He had assumed that the melded information T'Kaas had passed onto him had been all he needed to attend her but with each passing day spent in her company Spock now saw that Nyota was far more complex in her requirements and much more singular in her wants. She was...very human.

A scenes of Kibibi singing a song to his beloved followed closely with a vision of his mother smiling fondly at her that lastly ended with the two bonded pairs sharing a dinner meal in comfortable silence filled his mind. She felt connected to them he concluded as he took in her day's events. Vicariously he surmised that the women and many others had 'bonded' with his wife and were notably in her attention. Spock would be remiss in his duties as her mate to take that from her.

We will stay here, he thought pressing a kiss to the crown of her head, for the continued maintenance and growth of her bonds. The idea soothed the tension he felt constricting his chest and left him feeling unreasonably though logically...happy.

He did not realize he had fallen asleep until he felt Nyota shifting in his arms and tugging doggedly at his pants. He lifted his head to peer down at her straddling his thighs and trying to solve the knot he tied into the drawstring at his waist.

He moved her hands and deftly unraveled the knot for her to finish tugging his body free of his nightwear. His lok flopped heavily down against his stomach somewhat flaccid with an audible thud as it landed. He was still drowsy with sleep until she took him into her hands, rubbing at him in a meek but amorous manner. Spock chuffed and rolled his tongue along the seam of his lips, eyeing Nyota as she timidly touched and caressed his body.

She had never used her hands to please him and after her bout of grieving his was uncertain of her current state of mind and whether she should be attempting to do so.

Instead of speaking aloud, Spock pressed his concern, arousal and uncertainty towards her which she replied to by pushing her own uncertainty and arousal towards him. She still felt lonely and wanted to couple as a means to relieve the ache she felt in her heart. Being with him intimately had made her feel wanted and secure since she had come to know him and a feeling of gratitude for his earlier comfort spurred her further. She knew of his discomfort, how he had been openly affected and pained by her emotional turmoil but still held her tightly.

The heavy sense of security expanded as he mental touched on it. He too felt it, an ease in her company, cherished and comforted in the harbor of her affection. With her Spock could experience a total relief of physical, mental and emotional burdens. Having to bear any of hers was a pleasure as much as was an honor because it demonstrated she trusted him. She had never said it as plainly as he had just thought it but it was clear enough to sense that Nyota found the same relief and euphoria when they joined together, whether in company, carnally or by their minds.

Nyota sighed in the air, sounding undecided about her current course of action. She was undecided about how well she was pleasing him with her hands, if she's even doing any good at all with her touching him. Spock assured her readily with a loud, rumbling exhale that she was most certainly doing something _quite_ well and pulled at her mind to continue her caress. " _Sanoi, t'nash veh_. _Weh._ ( Please, one who is this one's. More.)"

He watched her lick her lips as she tightened her grip and slid her hands down along his shaft. Spock's eyes fluttered closed with a noise that echoed eerily along the walls. Nyota stiffened at the sound, unsure of its meaning.

" Please, do not. Do not stop...unless you wish to mount my lok." He panted. At present he wanted her to continue but it was not for a Vulcan male to remain idle while his mate was attending him. With how she was doing in teasing him towards his release, Spock wanted very much to attend to her. He brushed his fingers across the inside of her small wrist and felt her stomach flutter at the warm wave of affection he sent her.

" Do you want me to? To mount you?"

Spock swallowed, huffing against her hold. " At the moment I am uncertain of what I would enjoy more. This ministration with your hands is as bold of you as it is agreeable, _pi'lara._ "

" This is desperate of me, husband. You have made my _kuma_ sore."

Spock winced mentally at her soft spoken confession, guilt welling up inside of him. " My apologies. I have let myself go unchecked. I will ende…"

Spock hissed roughly as Nyota tongue lightly traced the flare of his lok's head with the tip of her tongue. When her mouth daintily closed over him he threw his head back with an inhuman groan. A delicious thrill of excitement passed over him from his mate as she gained more confidence and took more of him in.

His grip on the sheets tore the fabric, his breathing sped up and his face was threatening to break from its placidity. " _Nyota, du sanoi ri nash veh._ "( Nyota, you please this one so.)" he murmured hoarsely.

His hands went into her hair and drew her closer to his lap with a contented hum. His little timid mate had become a daring little thing as of late when it came to their intimacy. His plak-tow had been hazy fog as to her true enjoyment but with each passing encounter she grew more passionate. She spoke a bit more as he was inside her, became more vocal in expressing her pleasure and more of an active participate.

Watching her through slitted eyes now as she learned her way around him made Spock jerked in her grip. " _Ha, pi'lara_."

Nyota used her lips to nibble gently around his ring and burst with smug satisfaction as he made a pleading whine.

Normally embarrassed by such noises he hadn't even taken the vocal reaction into account as she placed her mouth on his lok sideways, holding his length in a softmouth bite. His right eye twitched along with the corner of his mouth as she released her hold with a loud, wet slurp that resembled a kiss.

By Surak, why had they not performed such acts sooner? _Because you would not have settled her just filling her mouth_ his mind answered as he recalled the strength of his pon farr. There was no doubt if she had tried to please him so he would pounced her upon his first climax if he even maintained control long enough.

When she swiped her tongue flatly over the head he bellowed like a lion. " _Ha_ …" he hissed, knitting his fingers into her loosely braided hair. " _Ha...ish-tishaya. Haaa._ ( Yes, yes...like that. Yes.)"

She seemed to take a fancy to his encouragement. Her hands held him firmly and pumped along the middle and base of his shaft while she used her mouth to attend to the rest of him and the tip. Spock was close to losing himself as she nipped, suckled and hummed about him. At the graze of her teeth he whined

" _Ra svor ru'lut_. (What a sweet mouth.)" he gasped. She swirled her tongue around the tip of his lok and Spock nearly lost himself. He couldn't take it any longer. Her mouth was sweet and more than tempting to spill himself into but he wanted her sheath wrapped around him as she came. And he would make sure of both actions happening.

With a strength that thrilled her Spock reached forward and made short work of her underwear, growling to himself that she still even wore any and freed the rest of her body to his touch. The hand in her hair pulled her head up from his lap with a slurping, pop and caressed her face. She kissed his palm and smiled against it as he chuffed at the intimate touch. It felt nearly as good as her mouth of his lok...not nearly but still quite exquisite.

Spock pulled her up across his body, humming as her sex dragged wetly across his lok and stomach. How wet she was, his human. _His_.

He dug his fingers into her hips, holding her firmly up above him as he drove himself into her tight, wet heat. She whimpered, raking her nails into the flesh of his chest and bowed her back under the force of his thrusts. All thoughts of being gentle with her dissipated as he pushed her down and fed her every inch of him.

He wanted her now as a Vulcan would, wholly and completely. He would not accept parts or pieces and now that she was his, after she had relinquished all she had to love him, Spock could not allow her melancholy to overtake her. He would overcome her first." _T'nash veh, du t'nash veh, Nyota_. ( Mine, you are mine, Nyota.)"

She squirmed with a sob as she shuddered above him as he hand went to her face and captured her mind. Spock's breath caught in his throat as the beauty of it startled him. It frightened him that she was so breathtaking, so clear in her worth among women that surely others would kill to have her as he was taking her now...but hadn't they already tried…? A mild panic rose within him as he thought on his rivals stealing her away before he dashed them away.

No, he would not think of them or the temptation they might pose towards his Nyota. She had chosen him, was with him right now basking in his touch, she was safe. Within the meld Nyota was splayed before Spock, soothing his covetous nature as all her thoughts were now trained on him. How hot his hands were, how good his skin smelled like mrryth and bergamot, how delicious his mouth had tasted, how much she loved him…

Spock shifted his fingers slightly, searching, until he felt the connections that housed the reception of her quim's nerves. He plucked at them experimentally and hummed to himself when she yelped and shook against him as if his hand had touched her intimately.

She looked down at him and he held her gaze in the darkness, giving into the need as it welled up again to assure him that she was his. It was an illogical craving. They were bonded, happily so but her grief had shaken him. It was so strong but he would not overstep himself by suppressing the emotion as he did with his own.

He did not know how else to alleviate her mourning and it scared him. His Nyota was ailing and he laid beneath her befuddled if he was doing the right thing. Was he assisting in her recovery or merely indulging them both carnally? A huffy caw escaped his mouth as he worried himself further. His Nyota, his sweet beautiful human was sad and he had set off the chain of events which had caused it.

His fear struck his baser modus, igniting his instincts. He _needed_ her. He needed her safe away from the others and contented with him and if having him inside of her would make his mate happy then she would have him, all of him.

" _Du worla sa'awek. Du t'nash veh. Nash veh dungi worla elik du._ (You are never alone. You belong to this one. This one will never relinquish/free you.)"

Nyota's lip quivered as his words echoed through her mind in the fierce, constricting bind across her body. _His_ she thought but her mouth remained silent. That was...dissatisfying. His anxiety returned stronger now, making him wary. Did she still want him? Was she withdrawing herself from him?

He pulled his hand from her face along with his lok from her sheath and placed her swiftly onto the ground. With a firm hand between the blades of her shoulders Spock pushed her down onto the pallet as his other hand pitched up her hips.

Nyota whimpered, rolling her hips in need when he had taken her off of his lok. She had been close to climax and he had denied her the pleasure. Spock covered her body with his own, taking the back of her neck into his mouth and sank himself back inside her with one rough thrust.

Nyota's back pushed up against his chest the deeper he went, her whole body trembling as his lok invaded her once more. His hands wrapped around the slender biceps of her arms pinning them down to the floor, leaving her to claw at the sheets instead of his body. She would know she was his by the end of this and everything about her would scream it.

With a groan halfway between a hiss and a purr, Spock nipped at her neck and withdrew slowly before snapping his hips back against her rear. He met resistance when the fullness of her backside bounced his pelvis back and switched tactics, using the rebound of her ass to pummel into her sex.

She mewed into pallet as he chuffed above her, crowding her small frame so he could please them both.

The sound of his body bucking against her with the lewd, sucking slurp of her quim bearing down around his lok filled the air as a background noise to Nyota quavering voice as she moaned into the pallet. _Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap_

" This one will _never_ let _you_ go…" he rasped against skin. He rose up above her still holding down her arms, to allow himself more room to nip and kiss along her back. He did not slacken the pace, taking his mate with a force that was just short of painful. " _T'nash veh. Du t'nash veh_.(Mine. You are mine.)"

She shut eyes and shivered as he ran his rough, long tongue along the dip of her spine. " Spock…"

" _T' nash veh, Nyota_!" he snarled, unappeased.

" _Ha, ha, t'du!_ "

That was better he thought as his anxiety wavered. She now verbally admitted to being his and that in itself soothed him but there was still the question of her mind.

Spock moved one of his hands back to her face and the other over the mound in between her legs as he went back to hungrily nipping at her neck. The skin along her back was now warm and supple from all attention of his mouth and teeth. Perhaps if it were brighter he would be able to see that rich brown skin glowing with a healthy, red flush. He longed to see so for himself but he even as a Vulcan his sight was limited where there was next to no light.

Spock locked his fingers over her psi points as he moved his mouth up to nibble at ear. " _Du dungi worla sa'awek k'veh, Nyota. Dungi kwom-sum svi'udish du nash veh, yut il weht._ (You will never be alone with me, Nyota. This one will _always_ be inside of you, in one way or many.)"

The sensation of their bodies colliding against one another flared as his fingers tightened the reins of their bond link. Nyota gave a violent jerk and cried out as she found her pleasure at the touch of his mind's shared ecstasy. Spock quickly withdrew from her spasming sheath as it sought to drag him along with her. He did not wish his pleasure yet or at least did not wish for it to end so suddenly.

Panting above her he shook himself like a dog and lowered himself back down.

Laying his head down on her back, Spock lapped up the sweat beading along her shoulder with made a bark of satisfaction. Nyota was a host of many tastes, from tangy lips to the creamy honey of her center, all of which he took time to relish.

She would probably be horrified if he told her she tasted delicious. There was still a small part of her that feared him, made wary by the things she didn't understand but came to know. Perhaps she knew of the small piece of him that enjoyed her muted terror. His ancestors were far from being prey.

" Do you still fear my teeth, little bird."

Spock felt her stiffen and squirm in the cage his body formed around her. " Less so."

" _Ri_ (Good)." he replied sliding down her body towards her legs. He felt her pondering over how he meant good, good that she was less afraid or good that she still was apprehensive.

" _On_ (Both)." he answered truthfully, wrapping his arms around her thighs. A flicker of shock zipped between them to which Spock sent a caress of assurance. " This one will not harm you."

Laying on his stomach, Spock set his elbows down between her knees with his hands locked around the bone of her hips. Before his face was Nyota's sex was laid bare, open, wet and glistening with the expression of her climax. The scent of her arousal filled his nostrils and pulled at his sac to empty its coffers. His lids grew heavy as he stared at the puffy folds, excited for what he would do next.

Nyota started to shift nervously as their bond made her aware of his giddiness. She didn't enjoy being so exposed and Spock staring at her quim so heatedly without being sure of what he would do. No need to keep her waiting.

With reflexes to rival any predator on the savannah Spock latched his mouth between her legs and _ate_ her. The noise she made at the stroke of his tongue was new and sublime. The tone of the vocals changed as he swiped his tongue in a wide, flat arch from clit to anus into something more dramatic. It almost sounded like she was dying as she clawed and keened into the sheets. It was uniquely satisfying.

She tried to pull away from the scratchy heat of his tongue but his hands held her firmly in place as he lapped at her again. She was crying his name between her labored breathing, caught between the urge to break free of his grip or mash herself against his face. He would only tolerate the latter.

Spock licked up her thigh and drove back in again, this time mouthing at everything he could see to reach. He was careful to guard her from his teeth as he did so knowing that a nip here could cause her serious injury. She bucked against him in uncoordinated jerks of her hips as his hands hampered her movements and sobbed as he purred against her.

" _Val-tor veh du ashaya, pi'lara. Val-tor du ashaya, ko-telsu._ (Tell me that you love it, little bird. Tell me that you love it, my female.)" he uttered in a near whine as he dragged his mouth across her core, coating his face in her essence. He hummed and kissed at her entrance with an alien croon. " _Val-tor veh, Nyota_ …"

She babbled in fretful mewl, nearly as crazed as he felt as he tongue, lips and rumbling hum drove her mad with lust. " _I..I love it. I love it so much! Please, please please please! I love it, I love it I love it..._."

He was placing open mouth kisses across the soft, swell of her rear as she begged for release, occasionally grazing his teeth along one of the cheeks with sloppy lick. When she continued to plead he decided to have mercy on them both.

Pushing her rear to his face he speared his tongue inside her and hollowed it out with a curl. Nuzzling his nose against the tight bud of her backside he let his throat resonate with the full strength of his purr. The vibration reverberated through his mouth and into Nyota's quim, setting her off with a deafening scream. Spock fought his tongue free as her sex sought to take it deeper and crawled back above her.

He snagged her hips, lifting her from the ground as he sank his lok back into her spasming channel with a triumphant growl. " Val-tor veh du ashaya nash veh, val-tor, ashayam. ( Tell me that you love me, tell me, my love(r).)"

Nyota clawed at the bed sheets for purchase as her knees hung suspended in the air, trying desperately to string more than two words together as the strength of her climax fogged her mind. " _Ash...au, ashau du,_ Spock!...love you..." she gasped against the pallet.

He lowered them both to the ground and smoothed one hand under her jaw to meld with her once more. He was already shaking with need for completion but needed her mind just as badly as her body to satisfy the hunger she had brought on.

Spock connected with a snap and was swept away in a turbulent stream of sensation. _Hot hands, sharp teeth, soft lips, firm chest, steely lok, he felt himself against and inside her_ as the meld fused them and bound their perspection together. She shuddered anew as she felt herself _soft, wet body beneath him, how hot and tight so was around him, how wonderful it felt when she fluttered and clenched about him_. He moved them bodily with a jerk of his hips and came with a snarl so wicked Nyota feared his pon farr had returned. He twitched, bucked and arched against her, fighting for breath as his seed spilled hotly out of her quim and streamed down her legs.

Spock exhaled harshly and slowly brought himself down to lay beside her. Nyota was barely conscious after the bout which was compounded by her crying jag and lack of sleep.

He lifted her leg to withdrew before his knot set in and locked him and the rest of his semen inside her. Even in the dim light he can spy the opalescent liquid empty out onto the pallet and pool beneath her. For a moment he watched the flow, feeling something inside him welling in deep satisfaction at his bondmate filled over the brim with his scent and seed. His female he thought stroking the hair away from her face, his Nyota. Holding her open Spock took the sheet and gently cleaned her, careful to dab gently at the wet, puffy folds.

He had been aggressive again he sighed as he thought on her earlier declaration of soreness. He did not want to hurt her nor did he think that she could continue the pace which his libido had set. Seeing to her comfort Spock gathered her to him and covered his tired bondmate with his robe.

He would have to find other means of satisfying both of them without sinking his lok into her center. Relaxing against the pallet Spock shrugged his shoulders. His bones ached. It seemed that his growing had resumed. His mother had named such aches _growing pains_ as he remembered his transition between adolescence and to his teen years for his first puberty.

His father had been surprised at his growth, stating that Vulcan offspring typically sexually matured much more slowly but then again his son was half human.

It had been that way for the rest of the hybrids as well, growing at a rapid rate physically for a Vulcan but aging much more slowly for a human. It was not spoken about aloud but maybe Vulcan parents worried over whether or not their offspring's mixed heritage would see them passing sooner than the average V'tosh.

But he knew what he had in store for him in the future whether long lived or quickened like that of his mother's people. He had Nyota and with her by his side he would use all at his disposal to make her life, that of their family and those of the village a contented one. He would approach the council tomorrow and set the course for this inspired charter into new beginnings and live up to his name.

And with a plan in place for the future Spock put all the rest of his unsavory emotions of jealousy and anxiety from his mind and allowed himself to sleep once more.

Xxxxxxxxx

Nyota stared back at the looking glass with interest. She had never seen her full body before, only bits and pieces at a time. Now she stood dazed by her only reflection in awe and disappointment.

She didn't look different from what she could tell. Nyota spun in a circle and tilted her head at her nude frame.

Somehow she thought sex with Spock would have changed her, that the loss of her virginity would have scarred her like a pockmark but from what she could tell she remained the same.

She smoothed her hands down her sides and palmed her stomach. It was still soft and flat. As much as pregnancy made her wary she was almost giddy at the prospect. What would their child be like? What would it feel like growing inside her? Would that make her different? Would Spock love her more?

She hummed and lowered her hands to her hips and then back along her rear. _I had no idea how round it was_ she mused rubbing the cheeks. She had never thought much of it other than it jiggling beneath her clothes or whether Spock liked it.

Thinking of her husband her hands slipped up to hold her breasts and sighed. _I wish they were larger, though Spock really seems to like them but they are so small, aren't they?_ She stared back at the mirror and tilted this way and that.

She was looking for the piece that made Spock fall in love with her. Her legs were similar to Adia's, her backside like Esha's, her stomach was like Amanda's and her breasts were like Loiyan's. All of the women were so different but so loved and cherished by their mates. It was not lost on her that Kibibi was easily one of the most beautiful of them all but Spock's eyes paid the Turkana woman's long legs, full figure and baby face no mind.

It seemed that no matter the female's shape, color or size the Vulcans and hybrids of the compound loved their mates fiercely if not obsessively. She had seen the big cape buffalo of a male Bov doting on his slip of a wife, with a gift from his outings on the mara every evening when he came home.

As she turned Nyota thought about how Spock had followed her from room to room in the first few days in their marriage save the bathroom but how much his puppyish affection had touched her. His occasional immaturity aside Spock was actually quite sweet.

She was nearly done dressing when he appeared silently in the doorway. He had on his loose black trousers that ended below his knee and his wide sleeve burgundy robe that cut off at his elbow that was belted loosely closed at his waist. He went without shoes but she had noticed the same with some of the heardsman and guards. Something about strengthening the pads of their feet.

Glancing at his long, toned torso her mind and body agreed that her husband looked very nice indeed, if not a bit disheveled. He should close his robe, not have all that chest hanging out for the ladies to gawk over.

Nyota mentally gagged herself as she listened to her monologue. _You're just as bad as him now. You know he wants only you._ She huffed and gathered her earrings from the table. _Yeah she knew he only wanted her but she was probably not the only female who wanted him._ They weren't blind in this village, her Spock was like a seasoned warrior in his prime, you just couldn't help but look and swoon.

" Spock, good morning." she called hoping he was ignorant of her fawning over him. And her coveting judgement.

He watched her pin her earrings and slip on her white marriage collar and blue necklace with a slow, blinking gaze. " Nyota. Are you well?"

Oh...maybe he wasn't. She reached out towards him within their bond and felt his satisfaction in her move to do so. Feeling along for the meaning of his inquiry she saw a vision of herself crying from the night before followed by her lying dazed after she had urged him to take her.

She looked down at the ground with a nod, trying hard to not conjure the feelings that last night's dream had left her with. " Yes, thank you. I never thanked you for coming back."

" You did thank me, k'diwa, in more ways than one." he said quietly.

She looked up and found him just inches away from her, his face still but his eyes glittering with intent. " I have something I wish to give you. Will you accompany me as I retrieve it?"

His face was still indifferent but his posture as he leaned in above her was like that of an expectant child towards their parent where the possibility of a no hovered coolly above him.

" I would love to." she smiled, placing a hand on his chest. At her answer she felt something inside him relax as if he were letting out a mental sigh of relief. He took her hand from his chest and gently ran his fingers over her wrist with a soft tingle. " Very good. If you are ready to attend…" he said extending his index and forefinger while still holding her hand.

She looked at the gesture with a small smile and mirrored it with her own hand. He quickly moved his hand around and pressed his fingers against hers. He was very pleased by her choice, soothed that he would have her to himself as he went about his errands for the day. With her by his side he would not have to fret over her welfare or worry about her sadness. By attending him Spock could attend to her and a very, deep seated need to care for her.

Nyota smiled wider and leaned up for a kiss. Spock bowed his head in graceful acceptance of her affection and gently led her from the room and outside the temple.

A host of speckled mousebirds scattered at their appearance and drew her attention to the sky. It was slightly cloudy and she concluded the rains would come soon. They should get back to their house soon if they wished to avoid traveling out in the open torrential rainfall.

Spock glanced up at the sky and back at the path that he had started on towards the western wall. " It will not rain just yet. We can check the weather within the ship if we are given permission to conduct a forecast."

She questioned over his words and he nodded in understanding. " We have instruments aboard our vessel that can calculate a reasonably accurate prediction for weather patterns."

" You have a box that can discern and talk to the sky about its mood?"

Nyota felt his amusement at her description and tightened his grip on her fingers. A flash of an image, smooth, shiny metal that was neither silver, gold or iron was molded into the shape of smooth tables with black surfaces and brightly glowing script like Sarek's electronic notebook. In fact that's what they kind of looked like...giant electrical notebooks where one could sit and read and write at one's leisure. How...amazing!

Spock nodded in agreement and withdrew the image from her mind. " That it is. I will show you the parts of the ship we still have intact before we leave the village for our home."

She nodded solemnly and looked out before at the rolling verdant path ahead.

Nyota watched as a fair number of couples stroll past them, the males all rigid and unsmiling while their wives held their hands and with a range of emotions display on their faces. One was even laughing with her husband and Nyota had to wonder if inside the bond he was tickled as well.

Seeing the bonded pairs that were human and Vulcan in composition was like seeing the mind and emotions of both. Though not able to facially express them the Vulcan's feelings were displayed on their human's faces with verve. Her people seemed to act as a conduit, funnelling the emotions they would normally suppress into their mate and taking on the relief there in.

Spock pulled at her waist and huffed as seconds later a gang of children came barrelling past them with aggravated laughter as they swatted each other in a game of tag. The speed in which it took place seemed almost aggressive but from the bright flickering smiles crossing over their faces she could tell it was all in good fun.

Among them she spotted Esha's boys giving as good as they got as they gave her a jerky nod and greeting of 'Hello Auntie!'. She had made so many new friends and met with so many new people. It was like she was a full person again, acknowledged, integrated and with a part to play.

She would miss everything here, the people, the beautiful lush, green spaces, her new family and friends. Though she wouldn't miss seeing that blue eyed, creep Stonn.

Again she felt Spock's beguilement as he thought it hilarious of her to call Stonn a 'creep' along with the sharp undercurrent of his anger towards him making Nyota feel as much. " He is how you say. Come we are nearly there."

And she sees in her mental meandering they are nearly to the steps of what looks to be a great door to a rocky cavern. The council hall. It is the most simplistic in decor and design in comparison to the exterior faces of the houses and wards within the crater but all the rock surrounding the door and its windows is polished into nearly blinding sheen. As they climb the steps Nyota notes the long, carved spirals lining the wall planes.

" The teachings of Surak." Spock replied as he felt her want of understanding the script. It is by these verses we abide in our logic and temper of nature. It is our way to enlightenment. They are written here as a...sentiment."

" Will you tell me what they say?" she asked studying the wall with a more critical eye. It was beautiful and she could find no fault in the craftsmanship. Though the Vulcans had little love for the bright colors and vivid designs of her people and the other tribes women they had a strong affinity towards simple perfection. All they had done was polish the rock and etched in script but it was done with such care it that looking at it made it look like a natural occurrence, like it was always supposed to look this way. It was a harmonious concession to balance with the nature it was taken from.

" I would tell you but I am under the impression that you will soon be able to read it for yourself. How have your lessons been with _Sa-mekh_?"

Nyota bit her lip and gave a half-hearted nod. " Fine, I believe."

" Then please indulge me with reading the following."

Spock ran a finger across a craving into the giant wooden frame of the door starting at the top and ending at a design of circles and triangles. Nyota came forward frowning fiercely as she squinted at the delicately written words. " In..infinite di..versity in infinite combi..nations."

" Very good, _T'kofu._ What a diligent student I have obtained."

They looked up in surprise to see Sarek splendidly dressed and looking serene as ever as he peered at them from the doorway. Almost as an afterthought he looked to Spock and gave a slight bow of his head in acknowledgement. " _Safu_."

" _Sa-makh_." Spock said flatly. His father's praise and open appreciation of Nyota had made him bristle. He wanted to mark her in front of him and she quickly urged him mentally not to. None of that she thought leaning against him in an easy affection.

Spock tore his gaze away from his father and gazed down at her darkly. His hand came up to caress her face and she could feel that thick, cloying covetousness surging through her. His the touch shouted for her as Spock's mouth remained unmoved. / You told this one that you were his and that with your love is enough to soothe me. _Du ashaya_./

A vision of their lovemaking last night flashed before her eyes, her hands, her mouth and lastly her sex around him, pleasing him to no end. And just as sudden the image of them huddled up together with him cradling her in his arms in the times before and after their passion flitted through her mind.

Nyota gasped at the sudden, unbidden images and stilled as his fingers brushed over her parted lips. / Every moment is cherished, all of you is wanted by this one./

She watched him in wonder with her earrings tinkling merrily in her ear as he looked down at her with a painful sense of longing in his eyes. For seven summers he had waited patiently to have her, love her, be with her and was hard pressed to tolerate anyone else's encroachment on what was his. Dreams of her were in the hundreds of thousands and not nearly enough to placate him then, let alone now. He was shamed by his jealousy towards his own father but he was Vulcan and Vulcans did not share.

At the peace of her understanding Spock withdrew his fingers from her face and replaced them against hers. After a moment Spock seemed to soften, almost apologetically and returned his eyes to his father.

Sarek looked nonplussed and took the time they used to soothe Spock's temper to neatly adjust his robes. " I heard your voices from down the hallway and wished to witness my daughter's progress for myself. Have you have been diligent with attending to her studies as well after our lessons?"

Spock's grip tightened on her hand and Nyota blushed profusely as he recalled such a tutorial session in her mind, _her bent over the low, tea table with her legs spread wide, whimpering fitfully as he filled her up over and over, stray leaflets of paper scattered out everywhere around her as Spock interrogated her over the script_. He had continue until she reeked of him and had perfect recollection of everything Sarek had gone over the day. " Yes, I have found a teaching style that inspires excellent mental retention. Do you not agree, _ko-telsu_?"

She cleared her throat and nodded, feeling her face burn under the scrutiny of Sarek's and Spock's gaze. She wished at that moment that the earth would open and swallow her up but of course the world granted no such miracles so she suffered through the possessive heat of Spock through her fingers and the curious, assessing gaze of that of her father in law. _Damn these Vulcan males_.

" You are here to present to submit a proposal to the elders, I assume?"

Spock stepped forward and inclined his head. " I am."

" Right this way." Sarek said, turning on his heels with an expectant gait that they would follow him. Spock led her through the vestibule and Nyota tried hard to suppress her awe. Just as in parts of the temple the council hall was litter with prismatic lights and semi precious stones.

Large pieces of...furniture that seem to be made or removed from the vessel the Vulcans called their spaceship, dressed the room up with a feel of being inside of a vacuous, room of silver and bronze. Spock stopped in front of one such piece while Sarek continue forward and joined a group of equally salt and pepper haired Vulcans seated at a large platform.

/ It is the council stage and bench./

Nyota turned and looked at Spock but it seemed that his full attention was on the elder members of his community.

/ _Our_ community./ Spock reaffirmed with a brief touch of her mind. He felt excited, giddy even and Nyota wondered over the source of such emotions within him.

" Spock, son of Sarek of the clan S'chn T'gai." a wisen looking matron began.

Nyota's eyes went over to take her in and was unsurprised to see her that she was beautiful. With skin that was just as brown as her own, the Vulcaness had her hair neatly swept back in an ornately constructed bun which highlighted her pointed brows and ears. Her black eyes were still clear and free from the yellowing often seen with age and trained on Spock with an intensity that Nyota now knew to be typical Vulcan attention. " You sought a meeting with the council over a number of requests. Five to be exact. These of us will harken to what you would ask the _V'tosh Terra_."

" Yes, _T'sai_ Odva. This one and she who is my wife thank you for your attendance. The first request is a petition for bonding reform. This one has the mechanics of how the _V'tosh Terra_ would enact such changes listed and detailed here." he stated, pulling an electronic notebook from the inside pocket of his robe. Nyota stared at it in surprise as she had completely missed it weight against his robe interior. Seems that his chest was really that distracting after all. Focus Nyota.

" This one may approach?"

" That one may. What is the nature of this petition's creation?"

Spock straightened but continued to hold Nyota's hand in attendance. Sarek was looking at them as if he was curious to know as well.

" The proposal is one that I promised to my bond brother in honor of his blood brother's passing in pon farr. The nature of the reform was inspired by she who is my wife. I and other males wish to be have more interaction with our intended to ease the transition of our bonding and subsequent marriage."

The members shifted in their seats looking to one another with pointed stares and blinks before refocusing on Spock. A youngest looking among them spoke next, with a golden tan and thick black hair, cropped short towards his scalp. His silver robe was definitely the richest among them but it gilded rather than enhanced his image. Who was he?

" What that one asks would put our community at risk by frequent, repeated contact with the humans. One would ask how having sustained contact with one's human intended would outweigh the safety of our home?"

Spock's irritation settled in Nyota's throat as he formed his rebuttal. " _S'haile_ Yonulsu will see that this one has detailed such benefits and caveats within the PADD's file system. In short summary, this one would state that the health of one's mate would be vastly improved upon, mentally, emotionally and physically, if they were allowed to be in regular contact with their bondmate. Humans being wedded in such a fashion as we currently have are distorting at the least and with the case of Li'fal K'goah potentially deadly to one or both mates."

Some of the council had started to skim through the PADD with slow blinks at his logical argument while the silver lord continued to debate the issue. " Perhaps we should not bond with the humans. We could bond among ourselves now. We have a growing Vulcan and hybrid population."

Spock groaned internally and Nyota could sense his increasing frustration. " We are growing in numbers, yes but not enough that we can go without the assistance of the human population. We still lack enough females for the number of males presently unbonded and we have more males being born still among those who are bonded as children. I will not even raise the question of endogamy and what that would mean for our people."

" Your logic is sound though troubling in its implications."

" Whether favored or disdained, we are in need of mates and those who we have selected are in need of more integrity and respect than we have currently allotted them. I had the good fortune of not forcing myself upon my wife during my time but it happens far too often here and the resulting action hurts our community. This one and those of us who have taken our mates from the local population call for a change in how we wed. Grant us a concession in this and we will thank thee for your reasonable judgement on the matter."

The members bowed their heads and spoke so softly that Nyota only knew they did so by the movement of their mouths. As she could have figured Lord Yonulsu seemed to try and press his point but was outweighed by the other six attendees.

Lady Odva inclined her head and slowly blinked down at them. " Your request for the proposal has been granted by the council and henceforth passes into the hands of the community to lobby for the new rites and rituals. If you have already had advisors among your newly bonded peers then I do not foresee a delay in implementing the amendments. That one will continue onto his next request."

" This one would be reinstated as a ship custodian and caretaker and withdraw his current position as senior herdsman." Spock said simply. Nyota bit her lip and searched the ground for his reasoning. How and where would they live if they gave up their home? Would they live with Amanda and Sarek? She tried hard to look as if she had known of his plans to ask this all along but it was hard with all the surrounding questions now cropping up in her mind.

" And what of that one's land, home and property?" Sarek asked them. Apparently this was news to him too. He probably wasn't too thrilled at the prospect of housing them again. Their garden probably wasn't either.

" This one would remove all of his property and forfeit the land and house therein. The council should note that there is a leopard on the grounds. This one would then seek a permit for construction for a new home within the compound and seek temporary housing within the temple as a long stay guest."

" Granted. And the leopard will be noted. Next." _T'sai_ Odva said indifferently.

Nyota couldn't help but notice the flicker of displeasure that flashed across _S'haile_ Yonulsu face as Spock was granted the request. From the look that Sarek was also leveling at her, it seemed that he caught it too.

" This one would ask to instate she who is my wife as a teacher of language, arts and cultural studies and made available to service the whole community for its enrichment."

" Granted so long as _T'sai_...Nyota is able to demonstrate her proficiency in all three concentrations. That one who is she will hold her lectures at the library at whatever time the library's keeper issues forth. Next."

" This one would ask that she who is my wife would be admitted the use of a personal PADD for her studies in _Vulkansu_ and use for lesson planning and anything other use she would see fit to perform."

The members discuss lending her a PADD at length before nodding with approval.

" Granted." Sarek said with his eyes upon his son. " She who is your wife will approach and receive the device."

Spock nodded and reluctantly withdrew his fingers from hers. Nyota stepped from with a confidence she did not and came before her father in law. From his seat Sarek leaned down and retrieved a PADD from a drawer set into the table where they sat. Nyota reached out hesitantly to receive the tablet and was surprised that when Sarek placed it in her hand that his fingers fractionally brushed against her own.

At once she felt assured, calmed and...happy. He was proud of her, she had conducted herself well in the eyes of the council and that she would be a teacher greatly pleased him. She and their Spock had given him much face today as well as honor to their house. As he withdrew his hand she felt a small flicker of affection left behind from his fingers though his face was as solemn as all of the other Vulcans present.

She gasped as she felt Spock rear up her mind and push the lingering sensation away from her hand and pulled her more tightly into the link between him. When she turned she found Spock with a mild look of annoyance as he stared at his father. It wasn't until she turned back around to face the council did she see Sarek giving Spock the tiniest hint of a smirk. His father was proud and liked her but he was obviously teasing Spock as well.

" And of your last request?" _T'sai_ Odva intoned.

Spock tucked his hands behind his back and looked from face to face of each of the elders.

" This one would request permission to escort she who is his wife to the human village called Namanga."

Ulihar sat contently studying the surrounding mara from his perch in an Elgon Olive tree. The smoky scented bark and moderate height made Olives a favorite for staying put for long periods of time. This particular tree was new to him, still bearing its bark as neither human or Vulcan had striped it of it for medicinal purposes or come to gather loose tree branches for work work.

From his vantage point in the nearly three story tree the sentry was able to see the herds of Vulcans and humans alike cautiously grazing around the lions who were roaming the area looking hungry for stray or sickly prey but were reluctant to leave the shade of their napping spots. Closer still were the Vulcan children undergoing exercises of mind melding and physical strength for their rites of passage and a few older Vulcans tending to smaller domestic animals like guinea fowl and a variety of milking goats.

Surveying the land in its natural order soothed him like no other activity not involving his friends or his wife could. From here he could witness the world playing out as it should, see to the helpless, assist the injured and if he were lucky scare a few humans away from their compound with a few new pranks he had concocted.

Most humans avoided the compound out of respect for what they thought to be demons and spirits but a few did wander into the surrounding forest out of hunger, losing their way home, cover from predators or out of foolhardy curiosity. A few of the women that had wandered in had become bonded from failing to heed the warnings of others to steer clear of the haunted stretch of trees, much to the delight of many of their males. Vulcans were no strangers to work especially when it came to selecting a bondmate but then again they were also fond of not passing up a perfectly good opportunity.

It was cloudy today and as if sensing the coming rains the animals both wild and tame seemed restless in their forging. The birds were being particularly annoying as they would occasionally come by in hopes of scaring Ulihar away from their nests. Like a rhino covered in oxpeckers he would ignore their noisy protests and dive bombing until they eventually gave up or grew bored of the large, lazy beast hanging about in the trees.

He was never idle though despite what the birds thought, always busying himself with something. Since there were no olives to gather he put his dagger to the branches he collected earlier and readied them for arrows. He had already smoothed out the shaft and was niching in the dent for notching them along the bowstring with he spotted Oratt leaving the gate and resealing it behind him.

Checking his internal clock he supposed it was time for the change in guard. His mind had been elsewhere since his run in with Stonn. He had wished to speak with Spock about it with the women off elsewhere but had never found the time to do so before reporting back for his duties outside the mountain. The blue eyed Vulcan needed to be dealt with and the sooner the better.

Oratt spotted Ulihar high above him and took off towards at full speed. Ulihar sighed heavily and gathered his materials. He would fletch the arrows later but first he had to make sure they didn't fall out of the tree.

He had just put his bag across his shoulder when he watched Oratt leap towards the tree with admirable Vulcan grace. Suspended in the air he looked like a giant verdant monkey sailing through the air until he slammed against the tree like a big cat. The trunk rocked violently beneath Ulihar, threatening to throw him but he was already bracing himself for the disturbance by locking his thighs around his perch. " Have you gained weight Oratt? That was quite a blow. You nearly knocked down my tree."

" Maybe I have just grown stronger and you skinnier?" Wedging his toes and fingers into the bark the guard captain swiftly scaled the tree and came to perch below him.

Ulihar hummed in amusement as he took in the senior guard's hair style. " I see T'Bes wishes to finally make you visibly unoffensive."

Oratt snorted softly in annoyance and rubbed at the top knot his wife has constructed on the crown of his head. " Whatever her reasons she would not let me alone until she dressed my hair. The oil was pleasant but I do not care for the style. Perhaps she favors your wolf tail but I have never been party to such a feminine coiffure..."

Ulihar hummed again as his friend taunted him back. " I am sure of that. Not many males are able to carry such a masculine show of beauty."

When Oratt hummed and clicked this tongue back at him Ulihar. " How does your bondmate deal with you, Ulihar?"

" Happily and with humor." Ulihar replied adjusting his bag. His nose flared and his eyes went to the bag along Oratt's back. " You have something I would not mind you sharing."

Oratt's eyes smiled as he removed the sack and fished out a few dozen spiced boiled eggs and a large cloth covered bowl of rice pilaf. Ulihar sniffed at the air contentedly and snagged one of the eggs. Oratt watched as he popped the whole orb shell and all into his mouth and chewed it hungrily. " Your scholar is indeed an accomplished cook."

Oratt grabbed an egg and carefully peeled at the shell. He did not care for touching his food like many other Vulcans the psionic nature of their hands it hard to handle things that once had life but did not linger for the sake of one's want to eat. Eggs were easier but still troublesome when it came to cleaning one's fingers. " T'Bes has finally started cooking for you too. Your doe would not be pleased to hear this. Is her understanding of the culinary arts so poor that you would starve less I feed you?"

" My physique is not an indication of how much nutrition I consume or Kibibi's cooking. She is proficient but I'd rather her play with me than cook when I am home." he answered popping another egg in his mouth. " besides if your bondmate is willing to cook for me then I can get a seventh meal in for the day."

" Glutton." Oratt sniffed handing him a spoon so they could share the pilaf. " How goes it on the mara, sentry."

Ulihar shoveled the rice into his mouth and blinked rapidly at the delicious buttered rice. He swallowed and started to gather more on his spoon. " Not much to report. A few hyenas to the west but they have moved on looking for more game and a few ostriches that we could gather eggs from to the south. Only one human wandered in, a young woman, who looked like she was looking for someone. When she came across the fallen Maasai weapons and clothing I left scattered near the border she wept and left."

Oratt paused the spoon he midway to his mouth and cocked his head at him. " Who do you believe she was?"

Ulihar chewed his food thoughtful and examined the eggs again. There were eight left out of the thirty. He had been hungry. " I am uncertain but I would believe her to be one of the wives of the men that ambushed my brother. She appeared grieved."

" A reasonable response from a mate." Oratt said absently. He seemed troubled by the news, possibly thinking that the Maasai would retaliate for their fallen men.

As far as anyone knew the Maasai had attacked first but Vulcan logic led everyone to believe that the warriors happening upon Spock and Nyota did not follow reason. Statistically it was low and strategically it was poor. Someone had to have rallied them to the charge and Ulihar like his bond brother was not convinced it was all the human's doing.

They finished their meal in silence, trying to take on an air of decorum for the dead that they spoke of by minding their manners.

Oratt wiped his hands against the barked and nodded towards him. " Returned to the gate. I have been ill at ease. T'Bes grows more concern about my welfare after the attack and pesters me through our bond throughout the day. Thank her for your meal after your perimeter sweep and assure her that I am well."

Ulihar nodded running his tongue over his teeth and broke a branch from the tree. He put the twig to hit teeth and chewed it, helping to brush and clean his mouth and tongue. Oratt blinked a bit before doing the same.

" I will speak with her but she will still cling to you Captain. You cannot deny you mate your presence there. It would only drive her need to see that you are safe."

Oratt sucked on the bark of the twig and nodded. " For once in your life your logic is sound."

" For once in your life you listened to logic." Ulihar jested before dropping backward and sailing down towards the ground. On the way he grabbed onto branches to slow his descent looking from one to the other in a swift, swinging gait. In the last ten feet he dropped down onto the balls of his feet and stood up with a stretch.

He wanted to run. Sitting in the tree for so long had made him as restless as the beats and his food was down enough not to bother him if he did so. Rolling his shoulders he eyed a path woven between the trees and took off to perform his perimeter swipe at his fastest.

Vaguely he could hear Oratt call out to him but he was well away from him by the time his mind comprehended the words. 'Show off'.

It may seem that way to others he thought but when he ran he was free and strong and unbound by his logical constraints. Logic would not dictate that he sing or dance or laugh to express himself. It would be a waste of energy, a fruitless endeavor for the time spent doing so and possibly long suffered by those around him. Happiness did not need to be given a voice, shown across his face or in his voice but he had to conduct a perimeter sweep and running while doing so would be in line with his logic. It just so happened that the action gave him joy.

Ulihar darted between the trees, his mask back between his shoulders as his long locks fanned out behind him. His legs stretched out to their full length, eating at the distance and lending him speed. He was like a saluki, long, lean and with his eyes trained ahead of him as his lungs and legs worked in sync to rocket him forward. There in that moment his was king of that dominion, caretaker of the mara and none could ever hope to catch him unless he let them.

He was halfway around the mountain when he noticed someone cutting across his path up ahead. It was upright and too fast to be a human, but nowhere near the gate. A Vulcan.

Ulihar narrowed his eyes and unsheathed his dagger. Whoever it was wanted to get into the compound and not be caught. Few things irked Ulihar, he was quite irksome himself but people trying to circumvent the rules of the forest and the elders were one of the few. He twisted the knife in his hand and sped towards the intruder.

The outlaw was starting to scale the mountain way when Ulihar launched himself into the trees. Leaping from trunk to trunk before, the gangly male jumped out and landing above the rogue with a loud snort in warning.

" You dare to climb my mountain?!" he questioned. His movements were composed, his face just as still but his eye green was bright with vexation. " Should I gut you for your trespassing or skin you instead?"

The interloper looked up from pawing at the rock in just as surprised as Ulihar was at himself. What a lapse in his control. He should have meditated more between his encounter with Stonn and now. Such allowances with his emotions could have him doing something more recklessly than threatening to disembowel or flay another.

When climber spied who the guardsmen growling lowly above was he flushed a ill looking green. Ulihar curled his lip to display his teeth, making the youth falter. " Dung Beetle! What are you up to? Why are you not at my gate?!"

Rovoc blinked terrified by Ulihar's anger in his voice. He staying there silently clinging to the rock as if the sentry would be pacified by his submissiveness. It had the opposite effect.

" Have you lost your tongue that you can not speak to me?! What are you hiding?" he snarled.

Rovoc bowed his head but remained stubbornly silently. Ulihar felt himself growl. He was worse off in his control than he thought but there were easier ways of handling a trespasser without further provoking himself. " Your thoughts, give them to me!" he hissed with an outstretched hand. In truth he was entitled to 'search' the offender's mind but he knew his anger would make the young herdsman wary of complying.

He moved towards him and Rovoc cried out as he lost his feeting and fell down the mountain side.

The sentry was hot on his trail bounding down the rock in a flurry of legs and arms. When they reached the bottom Ulihar held the herdsman up by the scruff and shook him. " You mongrel."

Rovoc held up his hands in defense but his mental shields slid and Ulihar was hit in a confusing mess of images. Nyota...crying...broken...Maasai...humans enslaved...Spock's head...the others...the others...they are here...must tell the others about the others...Sarek...they know him, look for him...they are coming...the others...Nyota beneath Spock and then Spock replaced by several more...shamed him...shame her...break her...him and the others...Spock over Nyota...Spock over a spear...shamed him...shame him...they will be many and the S'chn T'gais will be few...they will fall...they will fall...they will die in their ignorance because they do not know the others…

Before he realized his motions Ulihar cut his fist across the youth's face and threw him to the ground. He staggered back with a moan and held his head. The slight meld had been jarring in its intensity. Rovoc's hatred for his bond brother and thirst for violence against his mate made Ulihar's stomach roll in disgust.

Never had he been so mentally assaulted, so revolted, so angry. Oratt is at his side hovering above him and looking from his face to that of the unconscious herdsman. When he knelt down Ulihar realized he was trembling. No more running today, no more freeing his emotions because if he did he'd run himself ragged or murder the young Vulcan before him.

" Sentry. Calm." Oratt ordered and Ulihar felt his mind cling to his words like a lifeline. So angry, so very, terribly angry but soothing. Calm, he was calm, he would be calm. He took a deep breath and exhaled with a hiss. " Captain, this one cannot handle that one for he wants his life."

Oratt's eyes widened in shock and glanced back at Rovoc. " What has happened."

Ulihar blinked up at him and shook with his breath. " So much but something greater is about to happen and it has nothing to do with us. Please carry him back to the gate and lead him to the elders. He must tell them...they must know about the others."


	23. Chapter 23:New beginnings

AN: Unbeta'ed ( sorry but no betas available atm)

The rains were almost on them. Nyota stared up along the rim of the carter at the gathering clouds and felt the building humidity in the air. It filled her with an anxiety to get up and get moving. Every creature in and on the mara, whether man or Vulcan, bird or beast, knew it too.

With the rains came new life but their would be none for her to reap this season.

Her blood had come onto her that morning with a fierce clawing at her belly. Gazing down at the red stain lining her clothing had filled Nyota with a sense of relief and longing. She didn't know until that moment how much she had craved a child but she had yet to fully settle into her new life.

They would be moving from their old home, constructing a new one and visiting her former boma. It was not for a man to make their wives' houses but Spock would hear none of it. It was just as well if they were going to be building their home into the crater, Nyota didn't know how to work stone in that fashion.

Cook, yes. Hunt, most certainly. Building a home, however, was another task denied to her after she had been marked. Aside from bringing in building material Nyota had largely left to her studies, cooking and standing watch.

Watching the clouds mold and swell like puffy ugali, Nyota wondered again about her family. What had changed since she had departed? Would they welcome her with open arms and tears or shun her away with threats and stones. It was hard to say...none had ever ventured back that she could remember. Even if they had Nyota was sure they Elders would have been hard pressed to tell her.

She sighed heavily and mashed her toes into the dirt near the gate. She would feel better once Spock returned and they were on their way out. Soon after their council meeting had been concluded her husband left her side to commission a few Vulcans to work in his stead constructing their home as he left out to pack their current one on the mara. Spock assured her that it would be very fine and to her liking but how it looked mattered less to her than how it would feel. She just wanted to feel rooted to something, shake off the numbing ache of feeling ungrounded and adrift.

Her new profession would help she thought idly but a place to call and make her own would ensure it. For someone hailing from a semi nomadic nation, Nyota was still fond of the idea of a place to call home on the plains. She and Spock would see to all their promises and then perhaps focus more on their child rearing.

The crunching sound of rock against rock sounded behind her and Nyota turned towards the noise. More noise followed the sound of feet and frantic sounding speech echoed through the tunnels behind her. Had Ulihar or one of the other guards come back with a human from the forest?

Nyota stood up and started towards the gate entrance when she felt her hairs along her scalp tense. Spock.

She pivoted towards the path at her right and saw him slowly approaching with their bags slung over his shoulders. He didn't seem the least bit burdened by the luggages as he smoothly moved towards her.

Behind him was a small band of well wishers coming to see them off. Nyota smiled broadly as she picked out the faces of her new found friends and sisters. Loiyan on seeing her face sang out a song of parting. It was a merry tune unlike the one her family had sang for her over a moon ago.

Esha, Aida, Kibibi and a few others joined in, repeating Loiyan's Kiswahili as best they could and stepped in time to the verses. Behind them were their families along with Sarek and Amanda.

Spock came to stand beside her, engulfing her hand inside his with a buzz of excitement, pride and contentment though the three emotions were hidden from his face. " Are you ready to depart?"

Nyota looked up at him and nodded. " First our farewells and then our passage."

Spock gave a slight nod and twisted his fingers against her wrist. He bent towards her and whispered softly into her ear. " I hope you find your marriage with me just as satisfying as I have with you."

Nyota smiled and bit her lip as she felt his pride in her simmer against her skin. He adored her in a way she never imagined someone would, grateful for every moment whether good or bad spent with her because he wanted it all. He loved her and the feeling now with everything else sorting itself out was sublime. No more fear, no more confusion, just the pair of them living in the riveting starkness of life. They would be alright. They had a plan and the means to put every detail of it into motion. She gave his hand a squeeze back and winked up at him. " It's pretty amazing. Never boring I will assure you that." she laughed thinking over the past two weeks.

Spock blinked down at her and for a moment she thought she saw his mouth curl into a lopsided smile. He must have she thought as she felt his mirth tickling up her arm. Serious and Vulcan Spock might be but he still had a sense of humor.

The mixed crowd that had come up behind him surrounded the pair and covered them in light touches and tight hugs. Even then they sang on Loiyan shouting the versus loudly in a sing songy wail as the others chanted harmonically in response.

Nyota bowed her head to her new sisters and the women placed their hands and mouths on the crown of her head in animated affection. Spock held up his hand with parted fingers towards his kinsmen, touching the few that were closest to him in affinity or relation.

Amanda embraced both of them into a fierce hug while Sarek allowed himself a small nod of his head. Spock mother's wiped at her eyes and smiled from one face to the other. " It's nice to see an arrangement of two young people go so well. Seeing you two together has made us both so happy. I'm going to miss you two and can't wait to have you living back at the compound."

Nyota's eyes burned as she nodded in agreement. In the relatively short span of their stay Spock's family had become her's, giving Nyota a place to anchor herself in the current of change. They had been there for her when she and Spock had been at their worst and she was looking forward to them being their for the good as well.

" We will oversee the construction of your domicile while you all are away."

Spock blinked in approval while Nyota continued to nod her head. It was getting harder not to cry. She had been crying so much and was long tired of it. " Yes thank you, father."

Sarek tilted his head regarded her with a look she couldn't place. " Please continue your studies. You have made notable strides in your literacy. It would be a shame to let your gains lie fallow."

Nyota sniffled a laugh and favored him with a smile. Whether Sarek couldn't or wouldn't allow for emotions to show, Nyota got that he would lament her absence. " Yes I will be sure to study."

Sarek turned to Spock with an uncharacteristic smile to his eyes. " With the exception of your encounter with the Maasai I would say that your visit has been a most pleasant one. I look forward to your return."

Nyota swallowed at the happy thrum that ran through her arm from where Spock's hand held hers. The words along with the sentiment meant a lot to him as well. For being a man that was not partial to emotions Sarek certainly knew how to evoke them.

Spock glanced up at the sky and then searched the crowd, his brow furrowing mildly in confusion. " Ulihar said that he would see us off. The time has long since past when he would be relieved of his duties."

Everyone glanced towards Kibibi who gave a light shrug to her sloping shoulders and shook her head. " I have yet to see him. Normally he runs straight to the house after he does a quick perimeter search. Maybe he found something?"

Spock opened his mouth to speak when as if summoned by their conversation Ulihar's giant sinewy body stepped out of the tunnel and towards the crowd. Oratt was to his right hand with a fierce tilt to his brow. Between the pair of them an older adolescent Vulcan was being dragging by his traveling robe.

Sarek straightened and T'sai Odva nodded in his direction. Sarek blinked at her with a slight bow, which Nyota took to mean that he would differ to her judgement on whatever the matter happened to be. The primly kept Vulcaness glided over towards the guards and gave the sentries a similar nod.

Ulihar immediately released his hold while Oratt held up the teen before tossing him towards the crowd.

Nyota watched as the young Vulcan scrambled away from the guards and humans that had gathered there to see them off and crawls to the full blooded Vulcans.

Other than Sarek, Lady Odva, and a few others she didn't readily recognize, Stonn and his wife, T'Pring were the only Vulcans in attendance.

It had not pleased Nyota at all to see the couple sidling up towards them while the humans wished them well. Stonn's face remained passive even as his eyes burned brightly with an emotions she dare not identify. Feeling his gaze looming over her as the music rang in her ears had been doubly upsetting. Her hair stood up on end as Nyota beat away the irritation of his intense stare. Why was he so obsessed with her?

Glancing over at his bondmate she looked none the wiser or perhaps she was trying to save face with the affront Stonn gave them both. Not knowing why either should think to come upset Nyota. Were they trying to make nice with them or were they simply looking out for themselves to make sure the S'chn T'gai clan didn't suspect anything?

T'Pring's eyes languidly gazed down at the youth as if he were some foreign creature before returning her stare to some unknown point in space. Stonn had nearly rolled his eyes as the herdsman wept aloud.

A growl issued from the Oratt's throat and chuffed at Rovoc. The bridge of his nose was bunched up like an angry cat and his eyes were narrowed into thin slits. As expressive as he was he remained Nyota of his mother Sydah, with his long face and golden skin though she had never seen neither one so visibly angry or disgusted.

Ulihar had his mask in place but his chest was heaving with effort, as if he were winded. He must have been angry as well but why?

Rovoc's eyes darted nervously from face to face as the guard came closer. " Please, I would treat with you! Please do this one no harm."

Nyota looked away from the tense scene unsettled by the development only to find another one with Stonn openly staring at her. She swallowed as the lids of his eyes fell low and his lips parted with what looked like a sigh of her name. Nyota stepped towards Spock and snuggled closer.

Only Spock's possessive hold on her hand had soothed her enough to ignore Stonn and refocus her attention to the herdsman.

That and the pointed glare that her father in law had shot T'Pring's mate. It paid to have territorial men on your side when it came to those who lingered a bit too long. After Sarek's assertive stare, Stonn had moved himself and his wife towards the back of the crowd away from the couple.

Nyota thought he meant the motion out of respect but she was willing to bet it was primarily motivated by the blue eyed Vulcan's fear of her father in law. Not that she could blame him. Sarek had a way about him that never made one truly feel at ease even when he felt at ease around you. It a bit like seeing a snake dozing in the sun, it wasn't a threat to anyone until it was and everyone knew it.

T'Bes's dark figure stepped forward in her pale yellow robe and gestured toward Rovoc while staring pointedly at her husband. " What has happened?"

Oratt's nostrils flared briefly as he trained his eyes onto his wife. " That one sought to circumvent the gates. During his retrival off the side of the mountain, he did not shield himself Ulihar and projected thoughts. Neither will speak of what has passed between them."

" They are not my sins to say." Ulihar said angrily. " That illogical fool can speak for himself and his love of the old ways. I would take a seat if I were you because they is much that he has to say..."

Ulihar's fist curled tightly as he held himself still. Well not entirely still. Even with the ambient noise of the surrounding forest the tinny jangle of his bracers and jewelry reached Nyota's ears as his arms tremored. He wasn't just angry, he was furious. What had he seen that had made Spock's cheerful bond brother so upset?

The tall freckled sentry had his face turned towards the Vulcans but she couldn't tell who he was looking at exactly. She had a couple of guesses however.

T'Bes's brow furrowed slightly and _T'sai_ Odva stepped forward and questioned the youth with the same coolness she had addressed Spock and Nyota with during the council meeting. " Rovoc, son of Jossen, what trespasses have you made?"

" My Lady, please listen I have important news!" he gushed reaching for her robes before he recoiled with a yelp. Nyota watched as he rubbed his hand and cowered away from Oratt who was placing his hand back at his waist. With a quick glance towards Ulihar Nyota noticed his hand on the hilt of his dagger. She grew more nervous at what he had to say.

" Speak. Do _not_ touch." the Captain ordered. Beside her Spock released her hand and slowly rolled his shoulders. Nyota wondered over the movement but the bondlink remained as it had been earlier, with warm and humming but absence now of his mind with the lost of his hand.

Rovoc swallowed loudly and hung his head. " I...I have taken on and lead others to take up the old ways…"

" This I know and have reported to the council." Spock answered. " Tell us what crimes we do not know."

Ulihar huffed loudly under his mask and gave a quick, loud smack to the back of Rovoc's head. " What else?"

Rovoc crumbled down towards the ground with a unbecoming whine. T'Bes and Oratt's faces mirrored each other in a light frown.

" This one has also...shared himself with one who was not his intended…"

Spock tensed beside her while Nyota puzzled over the news. She thought Rovoc didn't have an intended yet. Was he admitting to premarital sex? From the look on everyone's faces it seemed like that was a big offense. She didn't know Vulcans were so reserved that having relations outside of marriage would be punished in such a violent and public fashion.

Ulihar smacked his head again this time violently across the ear. " Speak the whole truth! You and your lot seized humans for your own pleasure."

" This one can explain-"

" There is nothing to explain!" Ulihar snarled with a quick curl of his lip. " You kidnapped them outside the bounds of our treaty! You forced yourselves onto them and added to your debasement by erasing their memories."

" We could not leave them with-"

" Who know what you left them with. You're not a healer or an elder." Oratt groused, his Vulcan composure back in place. " Did you ever give one moment's thought to you or yours possibly getting on of the humans pregnant? You thought yourself clever with covering up the evidence in their minds but you can't stop the women from becoming round from your seed! And if she's not shunned as being a loose woman and gives birth to a hybrid babe what then Rovoc!? What will we say to the humans then?"

Rovoc sobbed and covered his head with his arms. Lady Odva made a clear noise of distaste while T'Pring looked down her nose at him. Amanda scoffed in disgust while the other women spoke angrily between themselves.

Nyota shuddered and hugged her arms with the memory of the herdsmen surrounding her as Spock 'marked' her out on the plains. They had been doing the same thing with the surrounding tribal nations' women. How long had it been going for? How many were involved? The danger of that day came into a sharper more sinister focus. She blinked away her thoughts to find Stonn was staring at her again. She shivered despite herself but recovered spitting at the ground in his direction.

Sarek slipped his electronic tablet from his sleeve and started tapping away at the screen. It was a hell of a time to write something down. His fellow council member held her mouth in a grim line before releasing an irritated breath. " You have shame not only your family but your community as well. Relation with the Maasai are already tense but here you and your peers have needlessly added to the fodder of their resentment and who knows to how many others."

Rovoc sniffed loudly and nodded his head wildly. " Yes, yes. It was...is...shameful. I confess, I am without logic but I must tell you of the news, not of my malady of unsound judgement."

Ulihar held him up by the scruff and gave him a violent shake. " You will spill _**everything**_ out of your mouth less you want me to tempt to twist off your lok to gain your confession! Confess everything you boar or learn how to urinate while squatting!" he spat.

Kibibi's hands came up to her mouth while Esha and Adia made excited gasps at the unfolding drama. In all of it Nyota felt clueless as to what to think or do.

Lady Odva straightened her back and blinked up at Ulihar's towering frame. " Place him back down on the ground, sentry K'goah."

Ulihar immediately released the herdsman back to the ground and stood at attention for the noble female. " My apologies for my coarseness and lack of control, _T'sai_. I did not meditate properly."

Lady Odva gave a slight lift of her brow toward Ulihar and sniffed quietly with a mild trace of humor at the understatement. " Obviously."

Turning her attention back to the despondent youth, Lady Odva gave a slight nod of her head. " You will tell all Rovoc. Until then this one cannot justly sentence you."

" Sentence?! But this one…this one is yet to be a full adult."

" In the eyes of the humans, you are more than mature enough." Sarek said quietly. " Confess your crimes or I shall see them for myself."

Rovoc shook his head furtively and groaned. " No, _S'haile, sanoi_! I will tell, I will tell! Please do not take my mind!"

Sarek nodded and everyone waited while Rovoc composed himself. He hung his head still sniffling loudly and placed his hands on the ground. " This one has overlooked the tenants of Surak in favor of those from our ancestors. Through them this one sought to have our people have the humans bend a knee to our clear superiority."

The Vulcans among them balked at his words, visibly disturbed by his words as they shuffled from one foot to the other.

" This one has along with peers took human females for pleasure of mind and body that had not been bonded to us. Those that went against this one's orders to do so and did not aid in our plans to rein over the mara were cast out or beaten into submission. This one...this one has killed one of his own and aided in planning to do the same to others that would stand in opposition of the old ways."

A chilling uproar boiled up from the humans as they rushed forward. Oratt and Ulihar stepped in front of him blocking the women's tearing hands. An angry chorus of voices rang out from crowd each with its own threat. " You beast!" " Murderer!" " You're no son of ours!" " Filth!" " Cut off his cock!" " I'll tell you apart!" " You have broken your mother's heart!" " Kill him! Kill him!" " Throw him to the Turkana! They'll spear him where he stands!" " His stupid ass has doomed us all!"

Sula was fell down to her knees and pulled despairingly at her hair. No one that approached could console her as she wailed into the dirt. Nyota saw Amanda force the dispirited woman into her arms and held her as Sula was beside herself in pain. Who could know the sharpness of her pain? So far it was only her son whose crimes had come to light and from the sound of it the others were only falling into line so they weren't beaten or worse.

" Who are the others in your fold?" Stonn asked.

" This..this one cannot say. This one gave his word and his mind to the others. The herdsmen under me know even less."

" Gave your mind? What does that mean?!" Esha shouted angrily.

T'Bes glanced over her shoulder and spoke to her. " He someone permission to manipulate his memory and thoughts. They most likely did so to hide their involvement while leaving Rovoc liable for any punishment."

Esha took a shuddering breath and clutched her children to her side. The well wishing had taken a grim turn, one that Nyota was sure Esha did not want her children witnessing.

" What if he did something else? What if this behavior is going on at the other offspring communities?!" Adia reasoned.

" We can only judge what we know to be true. Anything more would be illogical." Lady Odva stated softly.

Adia shook her head clearly dissatisfied. She put a protective hand over her belly and glared at the Vulcaness. " To hell with being illogical, Rovoc needs to be hung by his-"

" Wait!" Amanda yelled. " Wait! We shouldn't let this tear apart what little we all have. We can't afford to fight with ourselves! Not after what we heard. Even the most mild mannered tribes will take issue with what he and others, how many ever more there are, have done!"

" He might have started a war…" Ayana said wearily. She glanced over to T'Bes and the two exchanged looks. " I did not want to come here. I did not want to leave my family and I was scared of the mgeni but I cannot deny the love I have for my new family here."

She glared at Rovoc and shook her shaved head at him. " I swear by my gods and yours if you put my daughter and the rest of us in danger because you lok drove you crazy I will **knock** you back to the land of your ancestors!"

" What are we going to do?" Kingasunye asked. Ulihar looked over at his mother as she questioned the crowd and glanced back at Lady Odva for an answer. It was clear that he had no qualms with taking doing whatever the Lady would bid him to do just so long as it involved discomfort on Rovoc's part.

" Rovoc…! Did I not warn you?!" Spock hissed through his teeth. He started forward as the younger Vulcan fell to his knees and bowed his head contritely.

" Please, _S'haile_! I would not come here if it were not of the utmost importance. Your warning has been heeded I assure you of this." he babbled. His voice was thick with emotion as if he would start crying again at any moment.

" What is the nature of this issue?" Ulihar prodded, mask still in place. Nyota looked from face to face as she tried to take in the scene.

The atmosphere was tense as everyone's gaze fell onto the shaking Vulcan on the ground. " Sentry, you know I would not try and surpass you if it was not serious! Please, do not harm me anymore!"

" But first a sentence." T'Bes pressed glaring as much a Vulcan could without breaking face.

The T'sai straightened her back and watched Sarek for confirmation as she spoke. " That one has gone against teachings of Surak, abandoned his logic and coerced others into do the same. That one has admitted to murder, rape and kidnapping of varied degrees."

Rovoc groaned and hugged his sides as he listened to the T'sai emotionless voice list off his sins.

" The nature and extent of your crimes are too great for a single Vulcan indict so this one will hold off judgement until the council can conceive on the matter. Until that time this one orders you rendered blind of your sight, dulled of your strength and weakened of your bonds."

Rovoc shook his head and cowered before her. " Please _please_ , my lady have _mercy_! I have news! I would not have come, I promise I would not have but I could not keep it. They told me to come! Maybe once you hear it you would spare me?"

Ulihar made a dismissive noise and Kibibi stepped forward. " Please tell us what's so troubling that you would try your luck against my husband and risk breaking your neck climbing up the mountain?"

Rovoc sobbed and some of the Vulcans present recoiled at the display. " Not troubling, wonderful! SO wonderful, human! You have no idea!"

" She has no idea because you've yet to tell anyone, _Vulcan_." Amanda huffed. She looked up at Ulihar's looming skulled face and pointed at the herdsman. " If he says one more sentence that isn't why he came here, you have my permission as a lady of a high house to clock him on the back of his head. Hard."

Rovoc's face snapped up to met hers and he shook his head violently. " No, no, no. I'll speak! I'll speak! They're here! They're back!"

T'Pring tilted her head and inclined her chin. " What are you saying, herdsman? Speak plainly and fully."

" _They_ are here! They came here for us!" Rovoc shouted, nearly foaming at the mouth.

The sound of loud thudding issued behind them and Nyota along with the rest of the crowd looked over to see Ralek running down the path from the direction of the south gate. His expression was open and clearly shocked as he bolted over the mossy trail with his mouth and eyes wide open. " _The_ others! _They_ are _here_!"

Esha darted her eyes from left to right as she puzzled his words. " They? You mean-?"

A thunderous roar cut her off as a flash of light blinded them to their surroundings. Nyota along with many of the humans fell to her knees as a sudden down gust of wind pushed her down. It felt like a giant eagle was coming to roost in the carter, flapping its massive wings and announcing its arrival with a terrifying cry.

Spock's arms folded protectively around her as he gazed up with his inner eyelid firmly in place. Nyota felt his surprise before he gasped and stiffened around her. She looked at his face and saw his mouth moving even as the words were swallowed up by the loud, shrill screeching.

She put a hand to his face, pushing firmly as she thought her words in her mind. / What is happening?!/

/ They are here!/

She felt his excitement and fear prickling at her skin as she tried fruitlessly to look up past the light. Then a moment of clarity struck her body still as stone. They, Rovoc meant…

/ Yes!/ Spock agreed as he held her tightly. He turned to her and in the blinding light he looked almost...terrified. Overwhelmed, Nyota amended she looked over the others among them sharing in the same emotion of disbelief as the lights dimmed, the roaring lowered into a droning purr and a giant floating...what was that?!

Nyota squinted against the still bright lights to try and identify the object. A boat? But how could boats fly? No it did not look like a boat she had ever seen but did not resemble any animal that she had seen either. It had windows like a house and she could see people staring through them. Vulcan people!

" Oh! Oh! It's…" she said breathlessly. Spock's hold on her tightened once more. Something was happening to the backside of the floating house like boat, a humongous mouth had opened and released a smaller one. Perhaps she had been mistaken and it wasn't a mouth but a quim and the house had given birth.

Quickly Spock took her face into his hand as she was transported from the northern gate of the compound to the...bridge...of a...ship. Comprehension snagged her as she felt the imprint of Sarek's thoughts in the memory. These were Spock's father's thoughts, his recollection of his time before the crash. Spock's other hand took dug its fingers into her jaw and he stilled, quietly against her.

At first the meld was as with any other, their minds co-mingling against one another before his mind started to root within her own. He dug down, burrowing inside her looking for an empty space suitable for his needs and once found Spock's consciousness expanded and engulfed it.

Like a spider his mind woven an intricate web within the hollow in a multi-tendril touch. Physically she heard his breath coming deep and even, concentrating solely on his task at hand. She felt his want of the act he was performing on her along with the irritating rub of his hesitation. He was still young in years and knew of this particularly meld's potential to go awry but whatever he was doing inside her head Spock felt his bondmate needed to have the information he was funneling inside her mind stowed away.

Her body was paralyzed in his grasp in complete submission to his touch as Spock cradled her in his arms. A momentary flash a fear came over her as she struggled to move. Spock paused in his work to give her face a brief nudge with his own, reassuring her. He resumed his laborious task as he felt her relax once more as a silent observer. The fact that his mouth and mind had remained mute belayed how strenuous the meld was for him and she did not want to add to it. What exactly was he doing though?

On and on the psionic appendages worked, knitting, purling, tucking, sowing until the Sarek's memory of the ship became her own.

It was beyond peculiar. The details of the images were startling. It was almost as if she could reach inside herself and grasp the...controls along the...console. Nyota paused and viewed the scene once more. Never had she seen such a site but...she knew what these things were?

Experimentally, Spock plucked at the implantation, examining his work and her mind for soundness before withdrawing from her memory. The Vulcan sagged beside her with a heavy sigh and freed her body to her mind.

A clicking pop sounded in her head like when she cleared her ears and she was collapsed against Spock's slumping frame with an umph. She took a deep breath and shook her head vigorously. With the exception of the slight pinched sensation she felt along her skin where he had held her face and jaw there was no pain. It was what she felt in her mind that made her wince. The scene fell into place and was seen with new vision.

The _V'tosh_ of Vulcan were back on for those of _Terra_ and they were coming down from the _starship_ in a _shuttle_ to greet them.

" I can't believe it."

" I would concur but I am currently watching the truth for myself." Spock said quietly. She knows he's referencing the scene before her but she was talking about having a part of Sarek's memory, a part of his life as her own now. It was indescribable as well as awe-inspiring.

Nyota had a memory of being one of the crew on a D'vuhl class survey ship, on a mission to gather more data on Earth as a Vulcan! She felt Sarek's emotions during that time as her own, his reconciliation when he thought he would die in the crash, his wonder at the new land before him before it faded back into her own memory. It felt as if she had a second life.

Nyota looked over to Kibibi who had run over to Ulihar as soon as the ship came into view. The couple was currently melding as well. With a quick look around it seemed that all the bonded Vulcans were linking with their mates whether human, hybrid or the same. It was an event to be shared, explained and experienced together. They were one and as a unit the parts had to come together as a whole.

The shuttle quietly made its way down, gliding towards them like a large, hornless rhino with its matte maroon exterior reflecting the coming midday sun. The moment was surreal, like a wild dream after a late, spoiled meal but no matter how much she cleared her eyes the large hovering craft remained above them standing in stark contrast to the natural features of the mara.

Witnessing it for herself felt like magic. She had never seen such a thing or could rightly fathom how else it would move. The memories of her father in law however feed Nyota's understanding, explaining away the miracle before her with the intricacies of the ship and its shuttle's operations.

She _knew_ now by the craft was powered by a small plasma core located within the along the warp core ring within the lower deck inside the hull with the current funnelled through the nacelle fuse line. She shook her head and put a palm to her forehead in disbelief. She knew because Sarek had known it and Spock put that knowledge _inside_ her? She hadn't even seen a nacelle in person but knew exactly where to find it in both the shuttlecraft and starship.

" My god." she whispered softly looking from the ship to the surrounding Vulcans.

Beings from **space** like the one she was married to had come back!? Unbidden memories of the land Nyota had never known to exist outside of what she had been told came to her in a rush.

The sun baked sands of colors she did not know sand could come in were beneath her feet with the air wavering around her face as the two suns rode low between the planet's sister, _the watcher_. But she had never been there, she had never seen these bright stars, their foreign red light or that twin planet but now she held intimate knowledge of them.

 _Alien_ she thought over the word in her head as Spock said it within her. They were alien to one another but kindred. She had always considered Spock to be someone of this world but with the ships and their strange lights and the reflexive pull of his inner eyelid against the rustling debris set it in that he actually had origins from another land, another planet with other stars. He wasn't the Terran spirit man she had thought him to be but a new creation, a being of both her world and his father's.

The shuttle hummed louder as it approached the ground, hovering above the earth and sending more stray bits of twigs, leaves and rocks scattering away in a huge, brown cloud of dirt. It had switched from impulse engines to standard jet propulsion she concluded with a shocked inhalation.

Again her mind had used the new bank of knowledge as it searched for an explanation for the change in tone. Nyota blinked up at the craft in wonder as to why the other Vulcan males hadn't used such a technique to trade the knowledge of their language and other useful memories with their wives.

/ It is not so simple a thing to embed such memories or experiences. Not only is it a delicate art but extremely fatiguing. Melding comes naturally for Vulcans but each V'tosh has its strength with their ability. My father's parents and ancestors were telepaths that they could employ such a techniques as implanting memories. It is how we came to be a great house and high clan./

Nyota looked at his warm eyes with new questions, her fascinations with the ship temporarily abated. She glanced over at Kibibi and back at her husband. / If you or Ulihar were to attempt the same.../

Spock's eyes shot over to the pair and then back to Nyota. / Ulihar could seriously maim or kill her just as Rovoc and whoever else most likely marred the humans they handled. Nor would Ulihar's instinctual nature tolerate my handling his mate in such an intimate and powerful way. It would be...difficult for him to overlook and unsettling for me to be with another female. We do not share./ There it was again, the not sharing.

Spock pushed against the notion of Vulcans being self serving and countered it. / It is not a selfish thing we do, it is how we are. We don't share our mates because we cannot./

/ How is it that Nirak is able to touch males and females alike./

/ His psionic touch is neutral. His mind lends itself to an assertive observation like most other Vulcans or active like that of a typical healer, allowing the person or creature who is being melded with to have control of his or her mind and body. My touch is neither passive or assertive but aggressive. If I were to meld with another, I would gain the ability to render them senseless or paralyzed though I suppress the ability./

Nyota immediately remembered the leopard Spock had subdued and how it had grown still under the touch of his hand. The face of the big cat had been stunned but also frightened as her Vulcan had held him notably in place with just the touch of his mind. At the time she had been too terrified herself to see that she wasn't the only one scared and that the leopard wasn't the most dangerous predator there.

Then there was the time where it felt like tens of hands had covered her body, with many more mouths over her breasts and body as he had pleasured himself in the bathroom. She had been awake for that and it was startling. What seemed like Spock all over and inside her body just his pon farr riddled mind using their bond as an aid to pleasure them both. It had been terribly arousing but the more she thought about it now it had also been unsettling and eerie.

/ You mean, you can control someone's mind?/

/ Among other things./

Nyota stared at him and studied his face. Of course it held nothing to say that he was lying or how he felt about the extent of his telepathy but she could feel his momentary regard of her emotions towards him before shifting his focus back to the shuttle craft.

Nyota blinked and came back to herself fully. It felt like they had been talking for minutes but she watched the spacecraft touched down against the ground. The whole exchange had transpired in a matter of seconds she realized. Traveling at the speed of thought as there was little to no barrier between their minds to hamper their words.

So Spock was mentally talented but she had no reference for Vulcan telepathy otherwise aside from the healers. It made her wonder at the rest of his abilities and that of his father's. Was Sarek more powerful than his son? What more could they do? The memory of Rovoc's sentence came to mind and now suddenly made sense. The punishment he would receive would be handed down mentally.

She shivered at the thought of such power and stilled as Spock ran a comforting hand down her back. He did not want or mean to scare her, merely answer her earlier questions. As his worry tickled her throat Nyota coughed and put a hand to his face. Later she thought as she focused on the small ship in front of her. Its engine powered down and whined to a stop. The bay of the craft hissed open and slowly lowered down with a metallic scrap against the mossy rock trail.

Gradually all those who were kneeling stood back up along with her and Spock, eagerly awaiting the shuttle's passengers to exit.

Out of the corner of her eye Nyota saw Rovoc trying to scuttle away while people were swept away in the anticipation of their reunion. No way was that roach getting away with all that he had done. With her hand on the pummel of her dagger, she took a deep inhale to shout out in alarm but Sarek was moving in time with her breath.

One moment he was beside Amanda and the next he was only a few feet away from Rovoc. The material of his robe fluttered and cracked as he whipped his arm out and snagged the youth by the collar.

A startled yelp left Rovoc's lips as Sarek's finger moved deftly over his back and shoulders in what looked to be a precise pattern of jabs. The flurry of motion was over in seconds and Rovoc knelt down subdued at her father in law's feet. What had he done?

Sarek blinked down at the herdsman and then glanced pointedly at Stonn. The blue eyed Vulcan had the good grace to drop his gaze away with a hurried twist of his head away from him and Nyota. If she hadn't been watching Sarek so intently she might have missed the slight nod he gave her before returning his eyes to the shuttle's bay.

A few more minutes passed before they saw any further movement from the shuttle. No doubt Sarek's tiff with Rovoc had probably set the Vulcans inside the shuttle on edge. They had no idea as to why Sarek had nearly knocked the herdsman out but they did know that they didn't want to be on the receiving end.

Sarek folded his hands behind him and the other Vulcans followed suit. Nyota figured it was signal an end to the displays of hostile behavior but she had no sure way of knowing with Spock's hands away from hers and the bond link between them so muted. The strange new knowledge didn't supplement for the motion either but she found herself not caring when the round of Vulcans exited the shuttle.

It felt like everyone was holding their breath as they stepped forward and gave a smooth gesture of their hands in the form of ta'al. They seemed...different than the Vulcans she came to know. The looks were the same but the details were different.

They were all clad in a gray garb...uniform that clung to them like a second skin with similar colored boots on their feet. Their appearance felt causal though she felt sure they were in some sort of formation. Each party waited for the other to speak as they took the time between to take each other in. It was the other Vulcans who finally broke the silence.

" Where is the one called Sarek who is son of Skon?" one of them asked. Excited exclamations came over the crowd which had grown larger with the appearance of the starship.

" This one is he." Sarek said calmly stepping around and away from Rovoc. The youth stayed put and again Nyota wondered what her father in law had done.

The Vulcan that spoke stepped forward with her neatly cut hair and gave a brief bow. " While out on survey near this star system our ship encountered your weak but steady radio signal."

Sarek slipped out his electronic book and held it up for inspection. " As I one day...hoped you would."

" Terra was not due for another life observation for another 56 Vulkunsu years but on our way to Rigel II our communications officer came across your the transmission of your daily logs."

" I had no certainty that it would reach a Vulcan ship. I was only able to retrofit the tablet to transmit but I figured perhaps if I directed a radio signal elsewhere I could intercept a ship with knowledge of my people who would then report it to the high council. The signal, power and capacity of the tablet was limited in what I could do but I...I am deeply gratified that my attempts were not in vain…" Sarek said with a crack in his voice. None of the Vulcans seemed to fault him for it, it was an emotional tense situation.

" Indeed. We have received permission and are pleased to inform you that we are here to take you home."

Nyota and Spock looked at each other, lost in the same wonder and awe the other one was experiencing. They had just made plans to settle here on the mara in the compound. They were appointed duties, they were going to start a family, they were going to take time to know each other and now...they were being offered a new life and a new way. The Vulcan V'tosh way.

Spock touched her face once more and after a moment's time their decision was made.

 _Will Spock and Nyota go to Vulcan? Who else will accompany them if they do? Will Maasai lead the other tribal nations into war against the Vulcans? Will the S'chn T'gai clan be safe on Vulcan or do the others have plans that extend beyond the reach of Earth? Who are the other perps that have been in collusion with Rovoc, T'Pring and Stonn? Are the villains we know about as simple as we believe them to be? Who did Rovoc murder and how? Who was the weeping woman in the forest that Ulihar saw?_

To be continued in the next story _**Between two sun**_.

A/N: Thank you to all the readers for sticking with me while my computer died and I waited to get a new one. The next story is still S/U but it will feature more S/A prespectives as well as some of the OC pairings ( sorry but bear with me on my OC practice). Love springs eternal for you guys. Live long and prosper until we meet again in the next story.


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